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PRIVATE  LIBRARIES 


PROVIDENCE 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 

BY  HORATIO  ROGERS. 


The  Taylor's  cussion  made  of  shreedes 

of  divers  pieces  hath  a  patch, 
So  he  that  all  this  volume  reedes 

of  divers  things  shall  flnde  a  snatch. 

The  Taylor's  Cussion. 


O  F 


WITH 


A   PRELIMINARY  ESSAY 


PROVIDENCE 
SIDNEY    S.    RIDE  It, 

1878. 


Copyright  by 
SIDNEY   S .  RIDER. 
1878. 


(Edition  250  Copies.) 


PRINTED  BY  THE  PROVIDENCE  PRESS  COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


Two  or  three  years  ago  I  wrote  for  a  local  newspaper 
a  series  of  sketches  of  some  of  the  private  libraries  of 
Providence.  These  sketches,  due  in  some  degree,  perhaps, 
to  their  having  been  copied  into  The  American  Bibliopolist, 
attracted  so  much  attention  here  and  elsewhere,  that  I 
have  consented  to  collect  them  and  to  permit  a  limited 
edition  to  be  published  in  book  form.  During  leisure 
moments  all  have  been  rewritten,  several  have  been  added, 
and  an  essay  on  the  Love  of  Books  included  in  the  hope  of 
contributing  to  the  interest  of  the  volume. 

The  sketches  are  merely  suggestive,  and  are  only 
intended  to  enable  the  reader  to  form  a  fairly  accurate 
notion  of  the  character  and  extent  of  the  libraries  described. 
It  must  not  be  inferred  that  all  the  works  named  in  the  dif- 
ferent articles  are,  for  that  reason,  supposed  to  be  rare,  or 
even  scarce.     That  would  be  a  gross  misapprehension. 


iv. 


PllEFACE. 


I  have  selected  such  volumes  for  mention  as  I  think  will 
best  impart  a  correct  idea  of  the  collection  in  hand.  All 
the  descriptions  taken  together,  it  is  believed,  afford  a  fair 
illustration  of  the  character  of  the  private  libraries  of 
Providence. 

In  conclusion,  I  desire  to  acknowledge  my  obligations 
to  all  the  gentlemen  whose  libraries  I  have  attempted  to 
describe,  for  their  unfailing  courtesy  in  allowing  me  free 
access  to  their  literary  stores.  At  the  same  time  it  is  due 
to  them  to  say  that  they  are  in  no  manner  responsible  for 
what  has  been  said,  or  left  unsaid,  in  regard  to  their  collec- 
tions. I  desire,  also,  to  make  my  acknowledgments  to  Pro- 
fessor William  Gammell  for  valuable  critical  suggestions ;  to 
the  Hon.  John  R.  Bartlett  for  important  aid  in  respect  to 
the  Brown  library ;  and  especially  to  Mr.  C.  Piske  Harris, 
without  whose  discriminating  criticism  this  volume  would 
have  fallen  far  short  of  even  the  imperfect  standard  to 
which  it  has  attained. 

H.  R. 

Providence,  Apiul,  1878. 


OONTElSrTS. 


ON   THE   LOVE   OE  BOOKS,   1 

THE   JOHN   CARTER   BROWN   LIBRARY,            ...  07 

MR.  JOSEPH   J.  COOKE'S   LIBRARY,   107 

HON.  JOHN   R.    BARTLETT'S   LIBRARY,   -  133 

MR.  ROYAL   C.  TAFT'S   LIBRARY,   147 

MR.  ALEXANDER   FARNUM'S   LIBRARY,             -          -          -  103 

MR.  C.  FISKE   HARRIS'   LIBRARY,       -          -          -          -          -  171) 

MR.  SIDNEY   S.  RIDER'S   LIBRARY,          ....  203 

THE   AUTHOR'S   OWN   LIBRARY,   217 

CONCLUSION,   235 

INDEX,             ....                    ....  241 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FRONTISPIECE. 

MR.  JOHN   CARTER   BROWN'S   BOOK   PLATE,       -          -          -  (18 

THE   JOHN   CARTER   BROWN   LIBRARY,      Facuuj       -          -  69 

MR.  JOSEPH  J.  COOKE'S   LIBRARY,    -  108 

HON.  JOHN  R.  BARTLETT'S   BOOK  PLATE,  134 

HON.  JOHN   R.  BARTLETT'S    LIBRARY,     Facing  -         -         -  135 

MR.  ROYAL   C.  TAFT'S   LIBRARY,             ....  143 

MR.  ALEXANDER    FARNUM'S    LIBRARY,       ....  \Q4 

MR.  C.  FISKE   HARRIS'  BOOK   PLATE,     -  180 

THE   AUTHOR'S   BOOK   PLATE,   218 

THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY,  Facing  -  -  -  -  219 
TAILPIECE. 


CW  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


ON"  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


Some  man  may  lyke  of  that  I  wryte. 

Gower. 

"Be  pleasant,  brave,  and  fond  of  books,"  was  Rufus 
Choate's  precept  to  his  children.  Richard  de  Bury,  a 
famous  book-loving  Bishop  of  the  fourteenth  century,  in 
writing  of  books,  says,  "  These  are  the  masters  who 
instruct  us  without  rods  and  ferules,  without  hard  words 
and  anger,  without  clothes  or  money.  If  you  approach 
them,  they  are  not  asleep  ;  if  investigating  you  interrogate 
them,  they  conceal  nothing;  if  you  mistake  them,  they 
never  grumble ;  if  you  are  ignorant,  they  cannot  laugh  at 
you.  You  only,  oh  books,  are  liberal  and  independent. 
You  give  to  all  who  ask,  and  enfranchize  all  who  serve  you 
assiduously."  The  ardor  of  Archbishop  Fenelon  found 
expression  in  this  sentence :  "  If  the  crowns  of  all  the 
kingdoms  of  Europe  were  laid  down  at  my  feet  in  exchange 


4r 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


for  my  books  and  my  love  of  reading,  I  would  spurn  them 
all."  The  music  of  Mrs.  Browning's  verse  never  sounded 
more  sweetly  than  when,  in  Lady  Geraldine's  Courtship, 
she  says, 

—  "books  are  men  of  higher  stature, 
And  the  only  men  that  speak  aloud  for  future  times  to  hear." 

Be  the  taste  for  books  a  mania,  a  hobby,  a  passion,  or 
what  it  may,  what  other  taste  is  more  rational,  or  more 
delightful  I 

Different  minds  incline  to  different  objects,  and  by 
recounting  a  few  of  the  well  nigh  innumerable  hobbies  to 
which  men  have  inclined,  we  shall  perceive  that  they  are 
very  different  indeed.  In  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth 
century  a  remarkable  mania  for  tulips  raged  in  Holland. 
Fabulous  sums  were  paid  for  them,  and  a  single  bulb,  in 
one  instance,  sold  for  thirteen  thousand  florins.  Bulbs 
were  frequently  owned  in  shares,  and  many  individuals  were 
ruined  by  these  extravagances.  Joseph  Gillott,  the  famous 
steel  pen  maker,  had  a  passion  for  violins,  though  not  him- 
self a  player.  His  collection  was  large,  and  some  of  his 
fine  Cremonas  cost  him  not  less  than  four  hundred  pounds 
apiece.  After  the  collector's  decease,  this  assortment  of 
fiddles  sold  for  a  handsome  advance  upon  the  original  cost. 
The  late  Gordon  Urquhart,  of  the  British  Navy  Pay 
Office,  had  a  ghastly  hobby  for  hangmen's  halters.  "At 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


5 


Newgate  he  was  understood  to  have  the  entree  He 

invariably  procured  from  Jack  Ketch  the  halters  by  which 
the  unfortunate  culprits  were  strangled,  which  he  carefully 
preserved  as  mementoes  of  the  instability  of  human  exist- 
ence." A  Parisian,  M.  Nestor  Roqueplan,  busied  himself 
in  making  a  collection  of  historical  warming-pans,  which 
comprised,  with  others,  those  that  had  warmed  the  beds  of 
Marie  Stuart,  Madame  de  Pompadour,  Marie  Antoinette, 
Catharine  de  Medicis,  and  Diana  of  Poictiers.  Among  the 
numerous  things  which  John  Allan,  of  New  York,  had  gath- 
ered together  in  his  lifetime,  were  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  snuff-boxes,  fifteen  watches,  and  a  very  large  number 
of  seals,  brooches,  buckles,  etc.  Frederick  the  Great  had  a 
passion  for  snuff-boxes,  and  many,  among  the  multitude  he 
possessed,  were  very  rich  and  costly,  being  superbly  chased 
and  jewelled,  and  of  great  beauty.  The  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton had  a  strange  fondness  for  watches.  He  seldom  had 
less  than  half  a  dozen  going  at  once,  and  when  he  travelled 
he  stowed  away  as  many  more  in  a  portmanteau  made  to  fit 
his  carriage.  Signor  Lablache,  a  celebrated  buffo  and  basso 
a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  made  a  speciality  of  walking- 
sticks.  He  had  several  hundred,  comprising  all  kinds  and 
descriptions  from  the  simple,  unadorned  cane,  to  the  elabo- 
rately ornamented  work  of  art,  including  exquisite  speci- 
mens of  carving  in  wood  and  ivory,  and  highly  wrought 


6 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


handles  of  gold,  silver,  and  other  valuable  materials.  A 
London  banker,  who  died  a  few  years  since,  is  reported  to 
have  possessed  upwards  of  three  hundred  writing  and  dress- 
ing cases.  They  were  stored  in  all  parts  of  his  dwelling, 
and,  after  the  toils  and  cares  of  the  day  were  over,  his  great- 
est delight  was  found  in  examining  them.  Hobby  riders 
will  grieve  to  learn  that  this  singular  collection,  when 
brought  to  the  hammer,  realized  less  than  one  quarter  of 
the  original  cost.  A  late  Dutch  gentleman  assembled 
together  a  multitude  of  tobacco  pipes,  some  of  which  were 
highly  artistic  and  "as  veritable  gems  as  if  they  had  been 
statuary  or  jewelry."  Bugs,  butterflies,  minerals,  china, 
relics,  old  furniture,  and,  indeed,  almost  everything  else  to 
be  conceived  of,  have  each  their  collectors.  Sometimes  a 
passion  for  more  than  one  class  of  objects  is  to  be  found  in 
the  same  person.  Joseph  Gillott,  besides  his  violins,  had  a 
splendid  gallery  of  paintings.  Signor  Lablache  was  well 
nigh  as  fond  of  snuff-boxes  as  of  walking-sticks ;  and  John 
Allan  was  interested  in  a  large  number  of  things,  chief  of 
which  were  books,  prints,  and  autographs. 

The  amounts  paid  for  choice  specimens,  of  whatever 
kind,  furnish  the  most  striking  illustrations  of  the.  zeal  of 
collectors.  These  are  the  prices  that  some  American  coins 
sold  for,  about  a  dozen  years  ago :  for  a  dollar  of  the 
coinage  of  1794,  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  dollars  and  a 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


7 


half ;  for  one  of  1836,  sixty  dollars  ;  for  a  half-dollar  of 
1792,  ninety  dollars  ;  for  one  of  1839,  fifty-five  dollars  ; 
for  one  of  1861,  twenty  five  dollars  ;  for  a  quarter-dollar  of 
1838,  twenty-six  dollars  ;  for  a  cent  of  1799,  thirty-two 
dollars  and  a  half ;  for  one  of  1811,  twenty-five  dollars  ; 
for  one  of  1842,  nine  dollars  and  a  quarter  ;  for  a  half-cent 
of  1796,  ninety-two  dollars  and  a  half;  and  for  one  of 
1847,  sixty  dollars. 

At  the  sale  in  London  of  the  remarkable  collection  of 
Sevres  china  belonging  to  Mr.  Goding,  in  1874,  very  high 
prices  were  obtained.  A  cup  and  saucer  brought  ninety- 
nine  pounds  fifteen  shillings ;  a  pair  of  oviform  vases, 
twelve  inches  high,  five  hundred  and  four  pounds;  while 
the  gem  of  the  collection,  a  pair  of  vases,  eleven  and  a  half 
inches  high,  exquisitely  wrought  and  painted,  and  which  it 
was  rumored  were  bought  for  three  hundred  pounds  about 
twenty  years  before,  were  knocked  down  for  the  enormous 
sum  of  six  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty- five  pounds. 
At  the  sale  of  some  fine  old  W orcester  china,  on  the  same 
day,  belonging  to  another  party,  a  cup  and  saucer  sold  for 
forty-four  pounds  two  shillings ;  and  a  set  of  five  vases  for 
four  hundred  and  fifty-one  pounds  ten  shillings. 

As  a  final  illustration  take  postage  stamps.  At  a  sale 
in  London  in  1872,  a  twenty  cents  St.  Louis  stamp  brought 
eight  pounds  twelve  shillings ;  and  a  five  cents  Confederate 


8  ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 

States  Nashville  stamp,  and  a  two  cents  Memphis  stamp, 
both  unused,  five  pounds  each ;  the  whole  collection  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  specimens  producing  two  hundred 
and  fifty- two  pounds  seventeen  shillings  and  sixpence. 

No  one  can  appreciate  the  rare  pleasure  the  indulgence 
of  a  taste  affords  unless  he  has  a  passion  for  something 
himself.  The  mere  enumeration  of  these  tastes,  it  is 
believed,  is  the  best  argument  in  favor  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
love  of  books.  As  bread  and  meat  are  food  for  the  body,  so 
books  are  pabulum  for  the  mind.  Other  tastes  are  the  con- 
serves and  confections  of  the  mind:  they  may  please  it  for 
a  while,  but  for  solid  mental  nourishment  the  intellect  must 
fall  back  on  books,  "for  what  a  world  of  books,"  says 
Robert  Burton,  in  his  Anatomy  of  Melancholy,  "offers  itself,, 
in  all  subjects,  arts,  and  sciences,  to  the  sweet  content  and 
capacity  of  the  reader."    The  poet  likewise  tells  us, — 

"Books,  we  know, 
Are  a  substantial  world,  both  pure  and  good ; 
Round  these,  with  tendrils  strong  as  flesh  and  blood, 
Our  Pastime  and  our  Happiness  will  grow." 

The  realm  of  books  is  free  to  all.  Prince  and  peasant, 
patrician  and  plebeian,  saint  and  sinner,  are  alike  enrolled 
in  the  ranks  of  book-lovers.  Kings,  from  the  remote  ages 
of  the  old  Egyptian  dynasties  to  the  present  day,  have  not 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  9 

unfrequently  been  the  most  determined  seekers  after  literary 
treasures.  A  few  examples  drawn  chiefly  from  compara- 
tively recent  times  will  illustrate  the  ardor  of  monarchs  in 
this  direction.  The  zeal  of  Alphonso  I.,  King  of  Naples  in 
the  fifteenth  century,  was  so  great  that,  as  Bayle  tells  us, 
"  he  took  for  his  device,  An  open  Book.  His  soldiers  were 
so  well  acquainted  with  his  passion  for  books,  that  when- 
ever they  plundered  any  place,  they  strove  who  should  first 
carry  him  all  those  they  could  meet  with.  One  day,  upon 
mention  made  of  the  loss  of  some  things  of  value,  he  pro- 
tested he  had  rather  lose  his  jewels,  how  much  soever  the 
world  might  esteem  them,  than  the  meanest  of  his  books." 

Frederick  the  Great,  to  his  love  of  snuff-boxes  and 
military  glory,  added  the  love  of  literature.  "  Books  make 
up  no  small  part  of  true  happiness,"  he  wrote  in  his  early 
youth  ;  and  these  were  his  words  in  his  declining  years  — 
"  My  latest  passion  will  be  for  literature."  He  illustrated 
the  sincerity  of  his  expressions  by  having  a  library  at  each 
of  his  five  palaces,  and  when  he  built  his  new  palace  at 
Sans-Souci  he  provided  it  in  like  manner.  He  likewise  had 
a  travelling  library  for  the  review-time.  The  books  of  these 
several  collections  were  exactly  alike,  uniformly  bound  in 
red  morocco  with  gilt  leaves,  the  covers  stamped  with  an 
initial  showing  to  which  library  they  belonged,  so  that  the 
king  could  begin  a  volume  at  one  residence  and  finish  it  at 


10 


ON  THE  LOVE  OE  BOOKS. 


another  without  the  trouble  of  transporting  it  from  place  to 
place. 

When  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  climbing  the  dizzy 
heights  of  ambition  his  mind  fondly  turned  to  books.  His 
constant  attempts  to  better  his  library  facilities  upon  his 
active  campaigns,  clearly  indicate  his  literary  interest. 
Shortly  before  the  Egyptian  expedition  he  drew  up  a 
scheme  for  a  travelling  library  of  upwards  of  three  hun- 
dred volumes.  The  difficulties  of  transportation  were 
sought  to  be  obviated,  as  far  as  possible,  by  the  use  of  small 
copies.  In  July,  1808,  we  find  him  busy  with  another  plan 
for  a  camp  library,  which  embraced  printing  a  thousand 
volumes  in  duodecimo  size  without  margins,  to  be  bound  in 
thin  covers  and  with  loose  backs.  The  next  year  this  plan 
was  largely  expanded,  for  the  Emperor  wrote,  —  "When 
these  three  thousand  volumes  of  History  are  finished,  a  like 
number,  in  Natural  History,  Travels,  and  Literature,  may 
follow  ;  but  these,  for  the  most  part,  will  present  little 
difficulty,  as  a  large  proportion  of  them  exists  already  in 
the  eighteenmo  size."  On  the  campaign  of  1809  a  con- 
siderable library,  arranged  in  a  series  of  boxes  instantly 
convertible  into  book  cases,  accompanied  him,  being  trans- 
ported on  the  army  trains.  In  the  dreary  retirement  at 
Longwood,  after  Napoleon's  banishment  to  St.  Helena,  his 
library,  though  not  extensive,  was  his  chief  solace. 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  11 

The  unfortunate  Maximilian,  who  has  so  recently  veri- 
fied on  our  own  continent  the  truth  of  Shakespeare's  line, 

"Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown," 

seems  to  have  had  some  appreciation  of  books.  His  library 
was  sold  at  Leipsic,  Germany,  on  the  eighteenth  of  Janu- 
ary, 1869,  and  on  the  following  days.  The  catalogue  of  it 
makes  a  volume  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  pages, 
and  describes  four  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty-four 
different  lots.  M.  Deschamps,  the  compiler  of  the  cata- 
logue, states  in  his  introduction  that  the  library  was  formed 
by  D.  Jose  Maria  Andrade,  and  was  the  result  of  forty 
years  research  and  liberal  expenditure,  the  collector  hoping 
that  it  would  ultimately  become  a  public  collection.  In 
the  year  1865  it  was  sold  to  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  and 
Andrade  supposed  his  purpose  was  accomplished  when  it 
was  deposited  in  the  Bibliotheque  Imperiale  de  Mejico, 
where  it  remained  till  the  execution  of  Maximilian.  Hav- 
ing no  longer  the  protection  of  its  imperial  owner,  and,  in 
order  that  such  a  precious  collection  of  historical  archives 
might  not  be  destroyed  in  the  excitement  of  revolution,  or 
from  ignorance  of  its  value,  it  was  hastily  packed  in  about 
two  hundred  boxes,  and  conveyed  on  the  backs  of  mules  to 
Vera  Cruz,  where  it  was  immediately  shipped  to  Europe. 

Among  its  stores  there  were  upwards  of  seven  thousand 
2 


12 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


books,  pamphlets,  and  manuscripts,  relating  to,  or  printed 
in,  Mexico,  besides  a  number  pertaining  to  other  parts  of 
America.  There  were  many  rare  and  costly  volumes  in  the 
collection,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  not  a  few  of 
them  were  brought  back  to  America.  Many  of  them  will 
be  found  in  the  collection  of  Hubert  H.  Bancroft,  of  San 
Francisco;  more,  perhaps,  than  in  any  other  in  this  country. 

The  enumeration  of  royal  collectors  could  be  very 
largely  extended,  but,  as  this  essay  is  intended  to  be  sugges- 
tive merely,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  the  lovers  of  books 
at  the  other  extreme  of  the  social  scale.  Though  books 
are  a  fitting  accompaniment  of  the  splendor  of  palaces,  yet 
how  much  more  do  they  grace  and  illumine  the  abodes  of 
the  humble  and  lowly! 

The  late  Edward  M.  Thomas,  of  Washington,  a  col- 
ored man,  and  for  many  years  a  messenger  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  surmounting  the  prejudices  of  caste  and 
the  disadvantages  of  a  want  of  early  education,  devoted  his 
leisure  hours  and  limited  means  for  many  years,  to  artistic 
and  literary  objects.  He  accumulated  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  books,  including  a  large  amount  of  Masonic  litera- 
ture, many  European,  American,  Colonial,  and  ancient  coins 
and  medals,  and  a  very  fine  collection  of  autographs.  In 
this  latter  department  of  his  treasures  a  host  of  famous 
personages  of  all  countries  were  represented,  including 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


13 


kings,  presidents,  noblemen,  generals,  judges,  statesmen, 
authors,  and  divines.  His  literary  and  artistic  effects  were 
sold  January  tenth,  1865,  at  Washington,  and  many  of 
them  brought  high  prices.  A  quarto  volume  of  autographs 
of  European  and  American  celebrities,  comprising  many 
Revolutionary  characters,  all  our  presidents,  vice-presi- 
dents, etc.,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Oliver  Cromwell, 
Herschel,  Moore,  Lord  Nelson,  and  others,  a  remarkable 
collection,  carefully  arranged  and  mounted,  was  offered  at 
two  hundred  dollars,  and  was  withdrawn  on  a  bid  of  only 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars. 

Considering  his  calling  and  condition  in  life  Thomas 
Britton,  the  small -coal  man,  was  a  most  extraordinary 
character.  His  days  were  passed  in  the  humble  drudgery 
of  vending  small  coal  in  the  streets  of  London,  an  occupa- 
tion, one  would  suppose,  not  the  best  adapted  to  develop 
literary,  scientific,  and  artistic  tastes.  Notwithstanding  his 
unpropitious  surroundings,  however,  he  acquired  great 
knowledge  and  skill  as  a  chemist,  and  won  the  friendship 
and  respect  of  the  leaders  of  that  profession.  His  acquire- 
ments in  music,  likewise,  were  extensive  both  in  theory  and 
practice.  The  number  of  his  books  was  considerable,  and 
the  title  of  his  catalogue  is  curious  and  suggestive.  It  is  as 
follows: — "The  Library  of  Mr.  Thomas  Britton,  Small-coal 
man,  Deceas'd:  who,  at  his  own  charge,  kept  up  a  Concort 


14 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


of  Musick  above  40  years,  in  his  little  cottage.  Being  a 
curious  Collection  of  every  Ancient  and  Uncommon  book 
in  Divinity,  History,  Physick,  Chemistry,  Magick,  &c.  Also 
a  Collection  of  Manuscripts  chiefly  on  vellum.  Which  will 
be  sold  by  auction  at  Paul's  Coffee  House  .  .  .  the 
24th  day  of  January,  1714-15,  at  Five  in  the  Evening.  By 
Thomas  Ballard,  Esq."  The  excellence  of  his  books  is 
attested  by  the  fact  that  a  number  of  the  selections  in  that 
valuable  collection  known  as  Somers'  Tracts,  were  drawn 
from  his  library ;  and  some  of  the  finest  manuscripts  in 
Great  Britain  belonged  to  him. 

Scarcely  anything  can  be  more  attractive  to  the  fancy, 
than  the  picture  of  this  man  tramping  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don all  day,  peddling  small  coal,  and  when  his  toil  was 
over,  and  his  smock  frock  laid  aside,  giving  up  his  evenings 
to  chemical  experiments,  or  to  receiving  his  friends  at  his 
private  musical  entertainments. 

"Tho'  mean  thy  rank,  yet  in  thy  humble  cell 
Did  gentle  peace  and  arts  unpurchas'd  dwell; 
Well  pleas'd  Apollo  thither  led  his  train, 
And  music  warbled  in  her  sweetest  strain. 

Let  useless  pomp  behold,  and  blush  to  find 
So  low  a  station,  such  a  liberal  mind." 

The  graceful  sentences  of  Mr.  Thomas  F.  Donnelly, 
borrowed  from  one  of  his  interesting  articles  on  Biblio- 


OX  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


15 


mania,  which  appeared  in  the  Evening  Mail,  of  New  York, 
January  21st,  1871,  tell  the  tale  of  the  next  humble 
votary  of  books  so  pleasantly,  that  they  are  inserted  in  full. 
After  referring  to  Britton,  Mr.  Donnelly  proceeds  as  fol- 
lows : — 44  There  are  not  many,  even  among  the  biblio- 
maniacs of  New  York,  aware  of  the  existence  among  us  of 
a  somewhat  similar  character.  His  whole  life  has  been  one 
of  laborious  toil,  in  an  occupation,  too,  which  cannot  be 
very  congenial  to  a  refined  or  liberal  mind.  He  is  probably 
old  enough  to  be  the  father  of  many  of  our  veteran  collec- 
tors, and  yet  there  is  not  one  in  the  whole  fraternity  so 
enthusiastic  in  the  pursuit,  none  with  such  a  genuine  soul- 
absorbing  passion  for  his  particular  hobby.  And  not  only 
is  he  remarkable  as  a  book-hunter,  but  his  character  is 
perfectly  spotless  in  its  purity.  When  you  see  him  on  the 
hunting-ground  handling  a  book  or  pamphlet  as  though  it 
were  a  tender  infant,  you  at  once  get  an  insight  into  the 
childlike  simplicity  of  his  character.  At  a  sale  he  may  be 
seen  quietly  seated  in  a  retired  corner  of  the  auction -room, 
his  simple,  honest  face  beaming  with  joy  as  Mr.  Merwin  or 
Mr.  Strebeigh  holds  aloft  some  rare  scrap  of  Washingto- 
niana  on  which  he  has  just  bid,  yet  trembling  as  the  auc- 
tioneer's eye  glances  inquisitively  around  the  room  lest 
some  more  powerful  sportsman  snatch  it  away  from  him. 
There  is  no  boasting  patriot  who  so  reveres  the  name  and 


16 


OJV  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


memory  of  '  The  Father  of  his  Country,'  and  it  is  the  pas- 
sion of  his  life  to  gather  everything  that  can  in  any  way 
throw  light  upon  the  character  and  history  of  that  great 
man.  That  is  his  'weakness,'  and  you  have  only  to  present 
him  with  a  rare  Washington  eulogy  to  touch  the  most 
tender  chord  in  his  heart.  How  it  would  have  delighted 
the  soul  of  Dibdin  himself,  were  he  living,  to  greet  our 
bibliomaniac  ship-carpenter.  He  would  have  enrolled  him 
among  the  immortal  heroes  of  the  'Bibliographical  Decam- 
eron.' All  honor  to  good  old  father  Woodsides,  and  may 
he  yet  live  many  a  year  to  enjoy  communion  with  the  spirit 
of  Washington." 

Mr.  Donnelly  might,  with  equal  truth,  have  joined 
the  names  of  Daniel  Webster  and  Abraham  Lincoln  with 
that  of  George  Washington,  for  this  whole  trio  of  Ameri- 
can patriots  formed  the  specialty  of  Mr.  Noah  Woodsides' 
collection.  Mr.  Woodsides  died  in  the  winter  of  1876-7, 
and  his  library  was  sold  to  Mr.  Charles  L.  Wroodward,  a 
New  York  bookseller,  and  scattered. 

Thus  do  the  extremes  of  society  meet  in  appreciation 
of  books.  The  lofty  and  the  lowly  are  alike  cheered  by 
their  presence,  and  solaced  by  their  companionship.  The 
conqueror  will  not  be  separated  from  them,  even  in  his 
victorious  career ;  and  the  simple  artisan  and  the  petty 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


17 


tradesman,  after  their  humble  labors,  turn  to  them  as  to 
the  sunlight  of  their  existence. 

Virtue  and  vice  shall  furnish  the  next  illustrations  ; 
for,  if  outward  surroundings  afford  any  criterion  of  charac- 
ter, the  extremes  of  morals,  as  of  social  position,  have  like- 
wise their  representatives  in  the  ranks  of  book-lovers. 
Ecclesiastics,  always  being  educated,  and  until  quite  recent 
times  having  monopolized  a  large  share  of  learning,  have 
ever  been  famous  for  their  love  of  literature.  The  roll  of 
the  clergy  given  to  book  collecting  is  much  too  long  even 
for  enumeration  Silvester  II. ,  who  was  pope  in  the  tenth 
century,  was  distinguished  for  his  devotion  to  science  and 
to  literary  pursuits.  So  indefatigable  was  he  in  quest  of 
knowledge  that  he  visited  Spain,  and  caused  Italy,  and  the 
trans-Alpine  countries,  to  be  ransacked  for  books  and 
other  manuscripts.  Another  potentate,  Nicholas  V.,  who 
founded  the  library  of  the  Vatican  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
was  a  generous  patron  of  learned  men.  His  agents 
resorted  to  all  the  great  centres  of  the  East,  and  of  the 
West,  purchasing  or  copying  important  Greek  and  Latin 
manuscripts,  of  which  he  accumulated  about  five  thousand. 
Of  all  the  Roman  pontiffs,  however,  Leo  X.  was  the  most 
celebrated  for  his  love  of  literature,  and  for  all  those  tastes 
that  delight  the  refined  and  cultivated  mind.  Roscoe,  in 
speaking  of  his  passion  for  books,  says  —  "Few  persons 


18 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


have  experienced  this  passion  in  an  equal  degree  with  Leo 
X.,  and  still  fewer  have  had  an  equal  opportunity  of  grati- 
fying it.  ...  In  the  year  1508,  whilst  he  was  yet  a 
cardinal,  he  had  purchased  from  the  monks  of  the  convent 
of  S.  Marco  at  Florence,  the  remains  of  the  celebrated 
library  of  his  ancestors,  and  had  transferred  it  to  his  own 
house  at  Rome."  Regard  for  his  private  collection,  however, 
did  not  make  him  unmindful  of  the  great  library  of  the 
Vatican,  which  he  greatly  enriched  by  his  numerous  contri- 
butions. Though  death  cut  him  off  in  1521,  at  the  early 
age  of  forty-five  years,  the  career  of  no  one  of  the  numerous 
wearers  of  the  papal  tiara  furnishes  such  an  interesting 
chapter  of  history  as  the  life  of  this  illustrious  man.  His 
munificent  encouragement  of  literature  and  art  has  thrown 
a  literary  and  artistic  glory  round  his  name,  that  has 
secured  for  him  a  merited  and  enduring  fame.  For  him, 
Raphael  painted  marvels  of  art :  for  him,  Michel  An  gel  o 
fashioned  forms  of  beauty  out  of  shapeless  stone :  for  him, 
the  verse  of  Ariosto,  and  the  prose  of  Machiavelli,  were 
produced ;  while  the  halls  of  bis  palace  resounded  with  the 
most  delicious  strains  of  music.  "It  may  be  that  this  is  a 
sort  of  intellectual  sensuality;"  writes  Ranke,  in. drawing 
Leo's  character,  —  "if  so,  it  is  at  least  the  only  sensuality 
becoming  a  human  being." 

Many  of  the  cardinals,  likewise,  had  fine  libraries.  In 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


19 


the  sixteenth  century  Angelus  Roccha  dilates  upon  the 
elegance  of  the  books  of  Cardinal  Lancelot  and  Cardinal 
Bonelli.  Erasmus  mentions  the  library  of  Cardinal  Grimani 
as  being  richly  furnished  and  abounding  in  books  of  all 
languages.  Still  later,  Montfaucon  tells  us  of  the  literary 
wealth  and  wise  liberality  of  Cardinal  Imperiale.  In  the 
conclave  of  1730,  he  lacked  but  one  vote  of  being  elected 
pope,  and  at  his  death,  in  1737,  he  bequeathed  his 
splendid  collection  of  books  to  the  public.  The  same 
authority  likewise  speaks  of  Cardinal  Ottoboni's  "innate 
courtesy  and  munificence"  in  allowing  free  access  to  his 
library,  which  is  pronounced  to  be  "inferior  to  none  but 
the  Vatican  for  number  and  excellency  of  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Latin  manuscripts."  The  superb  volumes  of  the 
French  Cardinal  Mazarin  must  not  be  passed  unnoticed. 
This  distinguished  man  seems  to  have  generously  expended 
a  part  of  his  immense  fortune  upon  books,  of  which,  in 
1648,  he  had  accumulated  upwards  of  forty  thousand,  his 
library  being  next  to  the  Royal  collection  in  extent  and 
magnificence.  The  Cardinal  likewise  had  another  fine 
assemblage  of  books  at  Rome. 

But  the  briefest  mention  of  all  the  book-loving  cardi- 
nals would  be  a  well  nigh  interminable  task,  and  as  for  the 
arch -bishops,  bishops,  and  other  clergy,  who  properly  take 
rank  among  book-lovers,  their  name  is  legion. 

3 


20 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


From  the  lights  of  the  church,  turn  now  to  those  disso- 
lute women,  the  shadows  of  whose  characters  are  light- 
ened somewhat  by  their  love  of  books. 

Aspasia,  the  daughter  of  Axiochus,  was  a  brilliant  and 
aspiring  Milesian,  who  lived  in  Athens  more  than  four 
hundred  years  before  Christ.  She  had  enriched  her  mind 
with  accomplishments,  rare,  even  among  men.  Plutarch 
affirms  that  her  occupation  was  anything  but  creditable,  her 
house  being  a  home  for  young  courtesans.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  there  is  no  doubt  that  she  was  the  mistress  of  Pericles, 
the  famous  statesman,  and  lived  with  him  in  open  and 
notorious  concubinage.  The  house  of  Aspasia  was  the 
great  centre  of  the  highest  literary  and  philosophical 
society  of  Athens,  says  Dr.  Smith.  Grote  writes,  —  "it  is 
certain  that  so  remarkable  were  her  own  fascinations,  her 
accomplishments,  and  her  powers  not  merely  of  conversa- 
tion, but  even  of  oratory  and  criticism,  — that  the  most 
distinguished  Athenians  of  all  ages  and  characters,  Socrates 
among  the  number,  visited  her,  and  several  of  them  took 
their  wives  along  with  them  to  hear  her  also." 

Imperia  was  a  beautiful  Roman  courtesan  in  the  early 
part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  More  than  one  .writer  of 
that  age  dedicated  a  poem  to  her,  or  celebrated  her  charms 
in  verse.  The  magnates  of  church  and  state  paid  court  to 
her,  and  many  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  time 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


21 


sought  her  favors.  Her  apartments  were  noted,  even  in 
that  magnificent  age,  for  their  sumptuous  elegance,  and  she 
received  her  visitors  with  great  splendor.  Her  boudoir  was 
filled  with  books,  both  Italian  and  Latin,  and  her  leisure 
hours  were  devoted  to  literature.  She  wrote  poetry,  in  the 
study  of  which  she  was  a  disciple  of  Niccolo  Compano, 
called  Strascino,  who  was  probably  indebted  to  her  for  the 
subject  of  one  of  his  poetical  productions.  She  died  in 
1511,  when  only  twenty-six  years  old,  and,  notwithstanding 
the  notorious  immorality  of  her  life,  she  was  allowed  to  be 
buried  in  the  chapel  of  S.  Gregoria,  in  consecrated  ground. 

The  bindings  of  the  books  of  Diana  of  Poictiers  are 
famous.  Born  in  1499  of  a  good  family,  she  became  at  the 
early  age  of  thirteen  the  wife  of  Louis  de  Breze,  Count  de 
Maulevrier,  and  Grand  Seneschal  of  Normandy,  by  whom 
she  had  two  daughters.  Having  lost  her  husband  when 
thirty-two  years  old,  she  declared  that  she  would  wear 
widow's  weeds  during  the  remainder  of  her  life  ;  but  eight 
years  later  she  was  induced  to  lay  aside  both  her  weeds 
and  her  virtue  to  reign  over  the  heart  of  the  youthful 
dauphin,  afterwards  Henry  II.  of  France.  The  attractions 
of  this  woman  of  forty,  who  could  thus  captivate  the  fancy 
of  a  youth  of  eighteen,  must  have  been  remarkable. 
Though  she  lived  to  be  sixty-seven,  she  retained  her  beauty, 
her  grace,  and  her  fine  figure  to  the  last,  for  Brantome  nar- 


22 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


rates  that  he  saw  her  about  six  months  before  her  death, 
"and  even  then  she  was  so  beautiful,  that  a  heart  of  stone 
would  have  softened  at  the  sight  of  her."  Her  virtues  are 
thus  referred  to  by  the  same  authority: — "She  was 
extremely  debonnair,  kind  hearted,  and  charitable  ;  and  the 
French  should  pray  to  God  that  they  may  never  have  a 
Royal  mistress  of  a  worse,  and  less  beneficent,  character  than 
Diana."  She  was  highly  popular,  and,  according  to  Dibdin, 
"  the  French  acknowledge  her  as  the  first  Royal  Mistress  in 
honour  of  whom  a  medal  was  struck."  For  twenty  years, 
and  until  his  death,  this  fascinating  woman  ruled  the  heart 
of  her  Royal  lover,  and,  after  his  father's  decease,  his  king- 
dom also,  greatly  softening  by  her  gentle  and  refining  influ- 
ence, the  natural  ferocity  of  his  disposition,  and  imbuing 
him  with  a  love  of  the  fine  arts.  She  was  extravagantly 
fond  of  books,  pictures,  and  forms  of  beauty,  whatever 
guise  they  might  assume.  If  Diana  could  not  legally  share 
the  name  of  her  Royal  paramour,  it  is  clear  that  she  was 
proud  of  her  connection  with  him,  equivocal  as  it  was,  for 
she  did  what  she  could,  by  interweaving  their  initials  in  all 
manner  of  elegant  ornamentation,  to  perpetuate  its  remem- 
brance. Henry  II.  created  his  lovely  mistress  Duchess  of 
Valentinois,  and  built  for  her  the  Chateau  d'Anet,  whither 
she  retired  at  his  death  in  1559,  and  where,  as  Dibdin 
informs  us,  "  she  erected  a  Library,  of  which  the  specimens 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


23 


that  remain  —  and  more  particularly  those  of  her  bindings  — 
give  us  a  tolerably  correct  notion  of  what  must  have  been 
its  pristine  splendour."  Her  books  are  said  to  have  been 
sold  at  auction  in  1724. 

The  final  illustration  of  this  fair,  but  frail  class  of  book- 
lovers,  shall  be  the  noted  Madame  de  Pompadour,  one  of 
the  numerous  mistresses  of  Louis  XV.  Jeanne  Antoinette 
Poisson  was  heartless  and  ambitious,  with  a  beautiful  face,  a 
fascinating  figure,  and  with  a  taste  in  dress  so  exquisite, 
that  it  approximated  to  a  fine  art.  Her  girlish  mind  was 
impregnated  by  her  infamous  mother  with  the  idea  that  she 
was  "  a  morsel  for  a  king  ;"  and  she  finally  forsook  a  hus- 
band that  loved  her  passionately,  and  studiously  set  about 
engaging  the  attention  of  the  libertine  that  sat  upon  the 
throne.  It  was  no  difficult  matter  for  a  girl  of  twenty,  pos- 
sessing such  personal  charms  and  graces,  to  attract  the 
notice  of  a  monarch,  so  sensual  as  to  have  become  proverbial 
for  all  that  is  vile.  Accordingly  the  future  Marquise  de 
Pompadour  was  soon  installed  in  the  palace  of  the  king. 
Instead  of  being  thrown  aside  with  contempt,  like  most  dis- 
carded mistresses,  this  designing  woman,  when  she  ceased 
to  gratify  the  fickle  passion  of  her  quondam  lover,  became 
his  amie  necessaire,  and,  as  such,  was  compelled  to  rack  her 
powers  of  invention  to  devise  all  sorts  of  fetes,  routs,  the- 
atricals, and  other  entertainments,  to  minister  to  the  Royal 


24 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


pleasure,  while  she,  at  the  same  time,  pandered  to  his  execra- 
ble vices.  She  was  a  sort  of  bed-chamber  minister,  and 
practically  ruled  France.  Though  she  gave  much  to  the 
poor,  she  was  detested  by  the  nation.  She  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-two  years,  in  1764,  not  regretted,  even  by  the  king. 
Cold,  scheming,  thoroughly  unprincipled,  and  abandoned, 
she  yet  possessed  one  redeeming  trait.  She  encouraged 
savants,  poets,  and  philosophers,  and  loved  books.  Gorton, 
in  his  Biographical  Dictionary,  says, — "  She  used  her  influ- 
ence with  her  lover  in  promoting  the  progress  of  the  fine 
arts,  which  she  herself  cultivated  with  considerable  success, 
and  part  of  the  wealth  lavished  on  her  was  devoted  to  the 
collection  of  books,  paintings,  and  curiosities."  She  accu- 
mulated a  considerable  library,  which  she  bequeathed  to 
Louis  XV.  A  catalogue  of  her  books  was  made  the  year 
after  her  death,  the  most  prominent  class  in  it  being  that  of 
the  drama,  in  which  the  catalogue  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete, extant,  to  the  time  it  was  issued.  Her  books  were 
again  catalogued  in  1815,  when  they  were  sold  at  auction. 

Thus,  again,  do  we  behold  books  ministering  to  the 
extremes  of  society.  The  son  of  the  church,  and  the 
daughter  of  sin,  alike  resort  to  them,  as  to  a  fountain,  to 
draw  refreshment  and  delight.  Even  the  sternest  virtue  is 
adorned  by  a  love  of  literature,  as  the  sturdiest  oak  is  graced 
by  pendent  ivy.    On  the  other  hand,  if  a  love  of  books 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


25 


cannot  remove  the  hideousness  of  vice,  it,  nevertheless,  hides 
some  moral  blackness,  as  the  clambering  vine  drapes  with 
beauty  the  fallen  and  decaying  trunk,  it  cannot  entirely  con- 
ceal. Turning,  as  we  have,  from  the  votaries  of  books,  in 
riches  and  in  poverty,  in  greatness  and  in  obscurity,  in 
virtue  and  in  vice,  we  cannot  help  recognizing  the  truth  of 
these  words  of  Dr.  Channing :  —  "Books  are  the  true 
levellers.  They  give  to  all,  who  will  faithfully  use  them, 
the  society,  the  spiritual  presence,  of  the  best  and  greatest 
of  our  race." 

Books  are  as  old  as  civilization.  Moses,  in  obedience 
to  Divine  mandate,  wrote  the  ten  commandments  on  tables 
of  stone.  Since  that  remote  antiquity  all  sorts  of  materials 
have  been  used  for  books  —  Egyptian  papyrus,  birch  bark, 
sheets  of  wood,  ivory  tablets,  and  a  vast  variety  of  other 
substances.  Montfaucon  tells  us  of  buying  a  book  at  Rome 
in  1699,  composed  of  half  a  dozen  thin  sheets  of  lead;  and 
to  this  day,  in  some  parts  of  the  East  Indies,  strips  of 
Palmetto  leaf  are  indented  with  an  iron  stylus  and  strung 
together  into  a  rude  volume. 

Since  books  are  so  old,  book  collectors,  of  course,  have 
been  known  among  enlightened  nations  in  every  age  within 
the  reach  of  history.  The  private  library  of  the  famous  old 
Greek  philosopher,  Aristotle,  who  died  322  B.  C,  is  the 
earliest,  not  belonging  to  royalty,  of  which  any  record  has 


26 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


come  down  to  us ;  and  it  would  naturally  be  supposed  that 
one,  who  is  said  to  have  written  four  hundred  books  him- 
self, would  seek  the  works  of  others  to  aid  his  labors. 

Cicero,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Atticus,  says  that  when 
his  librarian,  Tyrannio,  had  arranged  his  books,  it  seemed 
as  if  his  house  had  got  a  soul ;  and,  again,  that  he  does  not 
envy  Crassus  his  wealth,  and  can  despise  the  broad  acres  of 
others,  if  he  only  has  it  in  his  power  to  purchase  books. 

It  is  related  that  our  Anglo-Saxon  ancestors  of  all 
ranks,  as  early  as  the  latter  part  of  the  seventh  century, 
actuated  by  zeal  for  the  study  of  foreign  literature,  and  by 
religious  enthusiasm,  were  seized  with  a  desire  of  visiting 
Rome.  While  sojourning  in  the  Holy  City  the  travellers 
often  spent  their  time  in  transcribing  old  manuscripts,  or 
their  money  in  purchasing  them ;  so  that,  in  addition  to 
many  of  the  luxuries  and  elegancies  of  life,  they  came 
home  laden  with  books. 

The  name  of  Richard  de  Bury,  Bishop  of  Durham,  and 
Lord  Chancellor  of  England,  stands  out  conspicuously 
in  the  fourteenth  century,  as  a  most  enthusiastic  lover  of 
books.  When  between  fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age  he 
withdrew  from  the  world  and  gave  himself  up  to  his  books, 
for  which  he  entertained  an  absorbing  passion.  The  history 
of  this  passion  he  has  himself  recorded  under  the  title  of 
Philobiblon,  and  a  single  extract  from  it  will  show  how 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


27 


unquenchable  was  his  zeal.  "All  of  either  sex,  of  every 
degree,  estate,  or  dignity,"  he  says,  "whose  pursuits  were 
in  any  way  connected  with  books,  could  with  a  knock  most 
easily  open  the  door  of  our  heart,  and  find  a  convenient 
reposing  place  in  our  bosom.  We  so  admitted  all  who 
brought  books,  that  neither  the  multitude  of  first-comers 
could  produce  a  fastidiousness  of  the  last,  nor  the  benefit 
conferred  yesterday  be  prejudicial  to  that  of  to-day. 
Wherefore,  as  we  were  continually  resorted  to  by  all  the 
aforesaid  persons  as  to  a  sort  of  adamant  attractive  of 
books,  the  desired  accession  of  the  vessels  of  science,  and  a 
multifarious  flight  of  the  best  volumes  were  made  to  us." 

The  fame  of  the  sumptuous  book-treasures  of  Grollier, 
Maioli,  and  President  De  Thou,  has  survived  to  us  from  the 
sixteenth  century.  Paul  Lacroix,  in  his  work  on  the 
Arts  in  the  Middle  Ages,  enlarges  upon  the  excellence  the 
art  of  book-binding  had  attained  in  France  three  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago,  and  thus  closes  his  reference  to 
Grollier: — "His  books  were  bound  in  morocco  from  the 
Levant,  with  such  care  and  taste  that  under  the  supervision 
of  this  exacting  amateur,  book-binding  seemed  to  have 
already  attained  perfection."  A  peculiarity  of  Grollier's 
books,  one  that  was  imitated  by  Maioli,  was  that  on  the 
cover  of  each  were  stamped  the  words,  "  Jo.  Grolierii  et 
Amicorum"    Surely,  a  man  that  would  keep  such  elegant 

4 


28 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


volumes  for  his  friends,  no  less  than  for  himself,  must  have 
been  worthy  of  all  the  praise  that  has  been  lavished  upon 
him.  Such  generosity  prepares  us  to  believe  the  anecdote 
related  by  Egnatio.  "I  dined,"  says  he,  "along  with 
Aldus,  his  son,  Manutius,  and  other  learned  men  at  Grol- 
lier's  table.  After  dinner,  and  just  as  dessert  had  been 
placed  on  the  table,  our  host  presented  each  of  his  guests 
with  a  pair  of  gloves  filled  with  ducats." 

President  De  Thou's  agents  were  to  be  found  in  all 
the  chief  cities  of  Europe,  and  when  any  work  was  printed 
at  Paris,  or  abroad,  he  took  care  to  secure  several  of  the 
finest  copies,  from  which  he  made  up  one  supereminent 
copy.  Twenty-thousand  crowns  are  said  to  have  been  lav- 
ished upon  the  bindings  of  his  eight  thousand  volumes  and 
one  thousand  manuscripts,  a  sum  larger  than  the  whole 
library  subsequently  sold  for;  and  the  stamp  of  De  Thou 
gives  a  book  in  our  day  a  standing  worthy  of  consideration 
in  the  library  of  the  most  fastidious.  It  is  a  shame  to 
France  that  this  superb  collection  was  not  preserved  intact 
in  some  one  of  the  great  depositories  of  that  country. 

The  book  treasures  of  Richard  Smith  were  among  the 
finest  of  his  time,  and  it  is  stated  in  the  first  volume  of 
Ames  and  Herbert's  Typographical  Antiquities  that  "we 
have  no  catalogue  of  a  library  collected  in  the  seventeenth 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


29 


century,  which  contained  so  many  Caxtonian  volumes  as 
did  that  of  Mr.  Richard  Smith,  who  died  in  the  year  1682." 

The  most  notable  illustration  in  England,  however,  of 
the  book-love  of  his  age,  is  the  famous  literary  antiquary, 
Sir  Robert  Cotton.  His  magnificent  collection  of  books 
and  manuscripts  may  still  be  seen  entire  in  the  Cottonian 
Library  of  the  British  Museum.  It  remained  in  the  Cotton 
family  till  the  year  1700,  when  it  was  settled  upon  the 
nation,  forever,  by  Sir  John  Cotton,  a  great  grandson 
of  Sir  Robert,  its  founder.  Though  the  value  of  such 
munificence  cannot  be  measured  by  money  alone,  yet  the 
fact  that  Sir  John  had  been  offered  sixty  thousand  pounds 
with  a  carte  blanche  for  some  honorary  mark  of  royal  favor 
on  the  part  of  Louis  XIV.  for  these  literary  treasures, 
affords  some  indication  of  the  claim  he  has  to  the  gratitude 
of  the  British  nation. 

The  brothers  Bernard  were  both  eminent  physicians, 
and  were  both  distinguished  for  their  love  of  books.  Dr. 
Francis  Bernard's  library  was  sold  in  1698,  and  that  of 
his  brother  a  dozen  years  later.  The  fifteen  thousand 
lots,  and  upwards,  composing  Dr.  Francis  Bernard's  sale 
catalogue  brought  only  the  meagre  sum  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  pounds;  and  works  printed  by  Caxton, 
and  the  other  old  English  worthies  of  the  typographic  art, 
sold  for  a  few  shillings  each.    In  this  respect  Dr.  Charles 


30 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


Bernard's  sale  was  in  happy  contrast  with  his  brother's, 
for  Swift,  mentioning  this  sale  in  his  journal  to  Stella, 
laments  the  high  prices  obtained,  which  prevented  his 
making  any  purchases  ;  and  the  opening  sentences  of  No. 
389  of  the  Spectator,  in  referring  to  this  auction,  express 
great  astonishment  that  a  single  small  volume  should  have 
brought  so  large  a  sum  as  thirty  pounds. 

The  volumes  that  the  book-lovers  of  the  last  century 
and  the  early  part  of  this,  caused  to  be  printed,  are  among 
the  very  choicest  that  we  have,  and  proclaim  that  their  pro- 
jectors must  have  lived  in  the  golden  age  of  book-collect- 
ing. What  a  pity  it  is,  therefore,  that  one  could  not  in 
spirit  have  accompanied  Sir  Ilildebrand  Jacob  upon  some 
of  his  erratic  excursions.  This  literary  Quixote  was 
exceeded  by  few  as  a  general  scholar,  and  in  his  knowledge 
of  Hebrew  had  scarcely  an  equal.  A  very  singular  custom 
characterized  the  earlier  part  of  his  life.  As  soon  as  the 
roads  became  good  and  fine  weather  began  to  set  in,  his 
man  was  ordered  to  pack  up  a  few  things  in  a  portman- 
teau, and  with  these  his  master  and  himself  set  off,  without 
knowing  whither  they  were  going.  When  it  drew  towards 
evening,  they  inquired  at  the  first  village  they  saw,  .whether 
the  great  man  in  it  was  a  lover  of  books,  and  had  a  fine 
library.  If  the  answer  was  in  the  negative,  they  went  on 
farther ;  if  in  the  affirmative,  Sir  Hildebrand  sent  his  com- 


OJST  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


31 


pliments,  and  the  message  that  he  had  come  to  see  him ; 
and  there  he  used  to  stay  till  time  or  curiosity  induced  him 
to  move  elsewhere.  In  this  manner  Sir  Hildebrand  had 
very  early  passed  through  the  greatest  part  of  England, 
without  scarcely  ever  sleeping  at  an  inn,  unless  where  town 
or  village  did  not  afford  one  person  civilized  enough  to  be 
glad  to  see  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar. 

The  name  of  Rawlinson  is  prominent  in  the  annals  of 
book-collecting.  Thomas  Rawlinson  was  a  man  of  learn- 
ing, a  patron  of  learned  men,  and  a  great  collector  of 
books.  Addison  is  said  to  have  intended  his  character  of 
Tom  Folio,  in  No.  158  of  the  Tathr,  for  him.  The  great 
essayist  commences  in  this  wise  —  "Tom  Folio  is  a  broker 
in  learning,  employed  to  get  together  good  editions,  and 
stock  the  libraries  of  great  men.  There  is  not  a  sale  of 
books  begins  till  Tom  Folio  is  seen  at  the  door.  There  is 
not  an  auction  where  his  name  is  not  heard,  and  that  too  in 
the  very  nick  of  time,  in  the  critical  moment,  before  the  last 
decisive  stroke  of  the  hammer.  There  is  not  a  subscription 
goes  forward,  in  which  Tom  is  not  privy  to  the  first  rough 
draught  of  the  proposals ;  nor  a  catalogue  printed,  that 
doth  not  come  to  him  wet  from  the  press."  While  Raw- 
linson lived  at  Gray's  Inn  he  had  four  chambers  so 
completely  filled  with  books  that  his  bed  was  obliged  to  be 
moved  into  the  passage.     The  rapidity  with  which  his 


32 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


volumes  increased  in  number,  necessitated  enlarged  accom- 
modations, and  thus  forced  him  to  remove  to  London-house, 
the  ancient  palace  of  the  Bishops  of  London,  where  he  died 
in  1725,  aged  forty-four  years.  Some  of  his  books  were 
sold  in  his  lifetime,  and  the  remainder  after  his  death. 
The  catalogue  embraced  seventeen  parts,  including  the 
Pictunc  Rawlinsoniana.  The  sales  began  in  1721,  and 
were  continued  at  intervals  for  thirteen  years.  It  took  one 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  days  to  dispose  of  the  printed 
books  in  parts  eight  to  fifteen,  inclusive;  and  sixteen  days 
to  sell  the  manuscripts.  His  library  was  immense :  indeed 
it  is  said  to  have  been  the  largest  collection  at  that  time 
known  to  have  been  offered  at  public  sale.  Richard  Raw- 
linson,  the  learned  antiquary,  was  a  younger  brother  of 
Thomas,  and,  like  him,  was  much  given  to  books,  of  which 
he  collected  about  twenty- five  thousand,  besides  numerous 
manuscripts. 

One  of  the  great  collections  of  the  last  century  was  the 
Harleian  library,  which  was  commenced  by  Robert  Harley, 
Earl  of  Oxford,  and  was  continued  and  enlarged  by  his  son 
Edward,  who  inherited  both  the  library  and  the  title.  The 
waning  fortunes  of  this  latter  nobleman  caused  this  mag- 
nificent collection  to  be  scattered  at  his  death,  when  it 
consisted  of  about  fifty  thousand  printed  volumes,  four 
hundred  thousand  pamphlets,  and  eight  thousand  manu- 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


33 


scripts.  The  manuscripts  were  sold  to  the  British  Museum 
for  ten  thousand  pounds,  a  sum  far  below  their  value,  but 
which  was  accepted  by  the  Earl's  daughter  upon  the  condi- 
tion, so  honorable  to  her,  "that  they  should  be  kept 
together  in  a  proper  repository  as  an  addition  to  the  Cotton 
Library,  and  be  called  the  Harleian  Collection  of  Manu- 
scripts." 

Thomas  Osborne,  the  most  celebrated  bookseller  of  his 
day,  bought  the  printed  books  for  thirteen  thousand 
pounds,  although  the  bindings  alone  of  a  part  only,  cost 
five  thousand  pounds  more  than  that  sum.  The  catalogue 
Osborne  caused  to  be  made  of  his  purchase,  fills  four  octavo 
volumes  of  upwards  of  four  hundred  pages  each.  Though 
a  fifth  volume  was  issued  a  few  years  later,  it  forms  no  part 
of  the  catalogue  proper,  as  it  contains  only  those  works 
included  in  the  prior  volumes,  then  remaining  unsold. 
This  collection  was  one  of  the  few  really  great  private 
libraries  that  have  ever  been  formed.  It  was  rich  in  many 
departments :  it  was  respectable  in  all.  Pope  calls  the 
books  left  by  the  first  Earl  to  his  son,  "one  of  the  finest 
libraries  of  Europe;"  and  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  after  the 
second  Earl's  death,  says  —  "the  Harleian  Library,  perhaps, 
excels  all  others,  not  more  in  number  and  excellence,  than 
in  the  splendor  of  its  volumes."  The  famous  Harleian 
Miscellany  derives  its  name  from  being  a  collection  of 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


scarce,  curious,  and  entertaining  pamphlets  and  tracts,  as 
well  in  manuscript  as  in  print,  selected  from  this  noble 
library. 

Surely,  there  were  ardent  collectors  in  England  a  hun- 
dred years  ago.  The  cabinet  of  coins  and  the  splendid 
books  of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke  excited  much  admiration 
and  honorable  mention  in  their  day  ;  while  few  names  have 
come  down  to  us  with  a  more  enviable  reputation  than  that 
of  the  eminent  physician,  Dr.  Richard  Mead.  We  are  told 
that  ''ingenious  men  were  sure  of  finding  at  Dr.  Mead's  the 
best  helps  in  all  their  undertakings  ;  and  scarcely  anything 
curious  appeared  in  England  but  under  his  patronage." 
No  expense  was  spared  upon  his  ten  thousand  volumes,  and 
upwards,  many  of  which  sold  for  much  more  than  they  cost 
him — a  remark  equally  true  of  his  pictures.  It  took  forty 
days  to  sell  Martin  Folkes'  books  in  1756,  eight  more  for 
his  prints  and  drawings,  and  five  for  his  pictures,  gems, 
coins,  and  mathematical  instruments.  The  thirty  thousand 
volumes  of  the  Honorable  Topham  Beauclerk,  and  the 
treasures  of  James  West,  John  Ratcliffe,  Dr.  Anthony 
Askew,  and  Dr.  Richard  Farmer,  place  them  among  the 
eminent  book-collectors  of  their  time.  The  books  of  Dr. 
Farmer  are  supposed  to  have  cost  him  less  than  five  hun- 
dred pounds,  yet  they  sold  for  more  than  twenty-two 
hundred  and  ten  pounds,  independent  of  his  pictures.  His 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


35 


library  was  particularly  rich  in  scarce  tracts  and  old  English 
literature,  and,  in  the  words  of  the  catalogue,  embraced 
"the  most  copious  assemblage  of  old  English  poetry  that, 
perhaps,  was  ever  exhibited  at  one  view."  Dibdin's  fre- 
quent mention,  in  Ames  and  Herbert's  Typographical 
Antiquities,  of  some  of  these  libraries,  especially  those  of 
West  and  Farmer,  sufficiently  attest  their  richness  in  typo- 
graphical gems. 

No  past  century  has  equalled  the  present  in  the 
number  and  zeal  of  its  book-collectors.  During  the  twelve 
months  between  November,  1806,  and  November,  1807, 
private  libraries  containing  no  less  than  one  hundred  and 
forty-nine  thousand  two  hundred  volumes  were  sold  at  auc- 
tion in  London  by  three  firms  alone.  In  1812  the  forty- 
two  days'  sale  of  the  Duke  of  Roxburghe's  elegant  library 
called  forth  a  competition  of  prices,  hitherto  unrivalled  in 
the  annals  of  literary  history.  On  this  occasion  Valdarfer's 
edition  of  1471,  of  Boccaccio's  Decameron,  was  knocked 
down  to  the  Marquis  of  Blandford  for  twenty- two  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds,  the  highest  price  that,  up  to  that  time, 
had  ever  been  obtained  for  a  single  book.  When  one  is 
willing  to  pay  upwards  of  eleven  thousand  dollars  for  a 
single  volume,  eleven  and  a  half  inches  high,  with  the  sole 
attraction  that,  after  fruitless  researches  for  more  than 
three  hundred  years,  no  other  perfect  copy  is  known  to 

5 


36  ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 

exist,  he  must  indeed  be  a  bibliomaniac.  In  commemora- 
tion of  this  remarkable  sale  some  of  the  chief  book-lovers  of 
that  day  formed  the  Roxburghe  Club,  the  dinners  and  pri- 
vate publications  of  which  have  become  famous.  When,  a 
few  years  later,  circumstances  forced  the  White  Knights 
Library,  as  the  Marquis  of  Blandford's  was  called,  under 
the  hammer,  upon  his  succeeding  to  the  Dukedom  of  Marl- 
borough, the  Valdarfer  Boccaccio  brought  less  than  half  its 
cost,  viz.,  nine  hundred  and  eighteen  pounds  fifteen  shil- 
lings.* 

A  comparison  of  a  few  of  the  prices  paid  for  the  Duke 
of  Roxburghe's  books  with  those  obtained  at  the  sales  of 
Smith,  and  Bernard,  will  afford  some  indication  of  the  vast 
stride  made,  in  little  more  than  a  century,  in  the  apprecia- 
tion of  the  father  of  English  typography.  Twelve  Caxtons 
owned  by  the  Duke  of  Roxburghe  sold  for  an  aggregate  of 
two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty-one  pounds,  while  at 


*The  following  item  in  regard  to  the 
famous  Valdarfer  Boccaccio,  is  extracted 
from  the  Life,  Letters,  and  Journals  of 
George  Ticknor.  "Lord  Spencer,"  says 
Ticknor,  "  told  me  two  odd  facts  about  it : 
that  Lord  Blandford  was  not  worth  a  sou 
when  he  bought  it,  and  yet  had  given 
orders  to  go  up  to  five  thousand  pounds 
for  it,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  it  in  the 
auctioneer's  hands  above  a  year,  before 
he  could  raise  the  money  to  pay  for  it; 
and  that  the  last  purchaser  was  Long. 


man,  against  whom  Lord  Spencer,  when 
he  found  out  who  his  competitor  was, 
would  not  bid,  because  he  thought  it  was 
improper  for  his  own  bookseller  to  run 
him  up,  and  of  whom  he  would  not  after- 
wards buy  it  at  any  advance,  because  he 
would  not  suffer  him  to  .profit  by  his 
interference.  The  book  is  certainly  a 
great  curiosity,  but  it  is  made  so  chiefly 
by  the  folly  of  those  who  have  owned  it 
and  those  who  have  written  about  it." 


OJST  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  37 

"Richard  Smith's  sale,  in  1682,  a  dozen  Caxtons,  comprising 
a  number  of  the  choicest  and  rarest  specimens,  brought 
only  three  pounds  seven  shillings  and  fivepence ;  and  by  far 
the  most  expensive  of  the  lot,  a  Godfrey  of  Boloyne  printed 
in  1481,  which  had  belonged  to  King  Edward  IV.,  pro- 
duced eighteen  shillings  and  twopence.  At  Dr.  Francis 
Bernard's  sale,  in  1098,  twelve  Caxtons  were  little  better 
than  given  away,  bringing  the  paltry  sum  of  one  pound 
eighteen  shillings  and  fourpence.  That  the  interest  in  the 
first  English  printer  has  not  abated  with  the  advance  of  our 
century,  is  evident  from  the  prices  detailed  in  Blades'  Cax- 
ton,  and  by  the  prices  paid  at  recent  English  sales.  Lord 
Charlemont's  copy  of  Higden's  Polycronicon  printed  by 
Caxton,  though  not  perfect,  brought,  in  1865,  four  hundred 
and  seventy-seven  pounds  ten  shillings ;  and  eight  years 
later,  at  the  famous  Perkins'  sale,  another  copy,  perfect 
though  not  so  tall  by  two  inches  as  Lord  Charlemont's, 
sold  for  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  pounds. 

George  the  Third  shared,  with  many  of  his  subjects, 
the  fascination  of  gathering  fine  books  together,  for  at  his 
death,  in  1820,  his  library  had  cost  him  not  far  from  one 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  pounds,  and  numbered  with 
the  pamphlets,  that  were  afterwards  bound,  about  eighty- 
four  thousand  volumes. 


38 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


Among  the  multitude  of  fine  English  collections  of 
books  formed  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  present  century, 
those  of  James  Edwards  and  Colonel  Stanley  are  promi- 
nent for  their  great  elegance. 

Sir  Mark  Masterman  Sykes'  prints  formed  one  of  the 
best  private  collections,  probably,  ever  made  in  England. 
It  contained  a  highly  valuable  series  of  British  portraits 
from  the  Heptarchy  to  the  end  of  the  reign  of  George  III. ; 
and  the  third  part  of  his  sale  catalogue,  for  his  prints  were 
dispersed  at  auction  in  1824,  after  his  decease,  consisted  of 
a  matchless  assemblage  of  engravings  by  the  most  eminent 
artists  of  the  Italian  schools  who  lived  in  the  fifteenth  and 
two  following  centuries.  There  was  a  splendid  collection 
of  works  in  niello  upon  silver,  among  them  a  pax  by  Maso 
Finiguerra :  there  were,  likewise,  numerous  impressions 
upon  paper,  and  casts  in  sulphur,  from  works  in  niello. 
The  whole  were  amply  illustrative  of  the  history  and 
progress  of  the  art  of  engraving  in  Italy  from  the  invention 
of  chalcography,  about  1445,  by  Maso  Finiguerra,  to  the 
commencement  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  third  part 
of  the  catalogue  forms  a  fitting  supplement  to  Bartsch,  as 
its  index  contains  the  names  of  nearly  forty  engravers  not  to 
be  found  in  Le  Peintre  Graveur.  The  preface  of  this  part  is 
written  by  William  Young  Ottley,  the  author  of  the  exceed- 
ingly valuable  Inquiry  into  the  Origin  and  Early  History  of 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


Engraving.  Sir  Mark,  likewise,  bad  remarkably  fine 
books,  upon  which  be  bad  expended  much  zeal  and  taste.* 
Of  all  English  collectors  of  any  age  Richard  Heber,  an 
elder  brother  of  Bishop  Heber,  was  tbe  most  omnivorous. 
Pushing  his  acquisitions  into  all  departments  of  literature 
he  sometimes  exceeded  the  bounds  of  reason,  as  the  same 
work  was  often  bought  over  and  over  again,  triplicates  and 
quadruplicates,  even,  failing  to  satisfy  his  insatiable  appe- 
tite. He  had  no  less  than  eight  houses  filled  with  books. 
In  addition  to  his  country  house,  Hodnet  Hall,  there  were 
two  in  London,  one  on  the  High  street  at  Oxford,  and 
others  at  Paris,  Brussels,  Antwerp,  and  Ghent,  besides 
various  smaller  collections  in  Germany,  and  elsewhere. 
His  largest  single  purchase  was  thirty  thousand  volumes, 
and  he  was  ever  on  the  alert  for  literary  gems :  on 
turning  over  the  catalogues  of  the  numerous  choice 
libraries  that  passed  under  the  hammer  in  the  early  part 
of  the  century,  no  purchaser's  name  appears  more  fre- 
quently than  that  of  this  literary  zealot.  He  was  the 
Atticus  of  Dibdin's  Bibliomania,  and  Bibliographical 
Decameron,  and  as  such,  of  course,  is  loudly  heralded  by 

*  Sir  Mark  Masterman  Sykes'  books  and  and  one  pounds,  making  a  total  of  forty- 

prints  sold  for  thirty-six  thousand  four  three    thousand    seven    hundred  and 

hundred  and  thirty-six  pounds:  in  addi-  ninety-nine  pounds,  or  but  five  dollars 

tion  to  this,  his  coins  brought  fourteen  less   than  two  hundred  and  nineteen 

hundred  and  sixty-lwo  pounds,  and  his  thousand  dollars, 
pictures  and  bronzes  fifty-nine  hundred 


40 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


that  grand  recorder  of  library-heroes.  Brunet  estimates 
the  number  of  Heber's  books  at  one  hundred  and  ten  thou- 
sand, which,  at  the  numerous  sales  for  two  years  after  his 
death  in  1834,  brought  fifty-seven  thousand  pounds,  a  little 
more,  it  is  supposed,  than  half  their  cost.  This  huge  col- 
lector was  very  liberal  in  allowing  others  the  use  of  his 
stores,  and  numerous  are  the  writers  that  have  dedicated 
works  to  him,  or  made  flattering  allusion  to  him  in  their 
pages.  Dr.  Ferriar,  in  a  poetical  epistle  to  Heber  entitled, 
The  Bibliomania,  hails  him  as  one  of  those, 

"Who  gather  nobly,  with  judicious  hand, 
The  Muse's  treasures  from  each  letter'd  strand." 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  the  Introduction  to  the  Sixth 
Canto  of  Marmion,  closes  a  graceful  tribute  to  him  as 
follows: — 

"Thy  volumes,  open  as  thy  heart, 
Delight,  amusement,  science,  art, 
To  every  ear  and  eye  impart ; 
Yet  who,  of  all  who  thus  employ  them, 
Can,  like  the  owner's  self  enjoy  them?" 

The  best  private  library  now  in  existence  in  Great 
Britain,  is  that  of  the  Earl  Spencer.  It  was  chiefly  formed 
by  George  John,  the  second  Earl,  who  employed  Dr. 
Dibdin  as  his  librarian.  The  library  rooms  at  Althorp,  the 
seat  of  the  Spencers,  contain  upwards  of  fifty  thousand  vol- 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


41 


umes.  The  Spencer  family  is  celebrated  for  its  book 
collecting.  The  famous  collection  of  books  at  Blenheim 
owed  its  beginnings  to  a  Lord  Spencer,  who  was  the  third 
Earl  of  Sunderland,  and  who  married  a  daughter  of  the 
great  Duke  of  Marlborough.  The  Marquis  of  Blandford 
was  a  descendant  of  the  originator  of  the  Blenheim 
library,  and  his  ardor  for  books  has  been  referred  to  in 
his  victorious  contention  with  his  kinsman,  the  second 
Earl  Spencer,  for  the  famous  Valdarfer  Boccaccio  at  the 
Roxburghe  sale.  It  would  be  idle  to  attempt  to  give  in 
brief  a  description  of  the  superb  gathering  of  literary  gems 
at  Althorp.  It  contains  many  volumes  which  are  the  only 
copies  known  to  be  in  existence ;  and  for  books  printed  in 
the  early  days  of  typography,  and,  indeed,  for  Block-Books, 
which  antedate  the  achievements  of  Gutenberg  and  Fust, 
it  is  without  a  rival ;  and  so  it  is  in  other  respects.  Dibdin 
has  gratefully  chronicled  the  fame  of  the  rarities  entrusted 
to  his  charge,  and  his  energies  were  restlessly  employed  to 
enrich  and  enlarge  his  patron's  library. 

The  Hight  Honorable  Thomas  Grenville  devoted  the 
last  two  score  of  his  ninety-six  years  of  life  to  the  indul- 
gence of  literary  tastes,  and  the  assembling  of  a  superb 
collection  of  books.  Descended  from  a  family  distinguished 
through  several  generations  for  its  successful  soldiers  and 
statesmen,  he  at  first  essayed  a  diplomatic  and  political 


42 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


career,  holding  several  prominent  positions.     Public  life, 
however,  was  distasteful  to  him,  and  he  abandoned  it  for 
more  congenial  pursuits.     His  library,  as  we  learn  from 
the  preface  of  his  catalogue,  consisted  of  about  twenty 
thousand  volumes,  among  which  were  many  of  the  earliest 
and  most  curious  specimens  of  printing,  together  with  gems 
of  the  highest  character  in  several  departments  of  litera- 
ture.   Says  the  writer  of  the  preface,— "  One  striking  merit 
perhaps  may  be  claimed  by  this  collection,  that  in  no  one  of 
its  branches  is  anything  superfluous  to  be  found ;  while 
there  is  a  sufficiency  of  information  on  all :  and  so  various 
are  its  divisions  and  classes,  as  to  meet  the  taste  and 
satisfy  the  curiosity  of  the  Bibliographer."     Liberal  in 
allowing  others  the  use  of  his  elegant  volumes  in  his  life,  he 
disposed  of  them  with  the  most  enlightened  munificence  at 
his  death,  for  a  codicil  to  his  will  executed  in  1845,  but  a 
year  before  his  decease,  contains  these  words: — "A  great 
part  of  my  library  has  been  purchased  from  the  profits  of  a 
sinecure  office  given  me  by  the  Public,  and  I  feel  it  to  be  a 
debt  and  a  duty  that  I  should  acknowledge  this  obligation 
by  giving  that  library,  so  acquired,  to  the  British  Museum 
for  the  use  of  the  public."    More  than  fifty-four  thousand 
pounds  were  expended  on  this  library,  and  it  would  prob- 
ably have  realized  a  much  larger  sum  than  it  cost  had  it 
been  brought  to  public  sale ;  hence  it  is  doubtless  true  that 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


43 


this  bequest  constitutes  one  of  the  finest  acquisitions  made 
by  the  British  Museum  during  the  present  century.  Such  a 
wise  disposition  of  books,  collected  with  so  much  pride  and 
delight,  intensifies  our  interest  both  in  the  collection  and  in 
the  collector. 

Guglielmo  Libri,  a  professor  in  the  University  of  Pisa, 
was  of  a  noble  Tuscan  family.  In  1830,  the  government 
regarding  him  with  distrust  as  a  liberal,  he  was  forced  to 
leave  his  country  and  to  seek  refuge  in  Paris,  where  he  was 
cordially  received,  and  in  a  few  years  made  a  member  of 
the  Institute.  Several  professorial  appointments  were 
conferred  on  him,  and  his  ripe  scholarship,  especially  in 
mathematics,  his  bibliographical  attainments,  and  his  pow- 
ers of  conversation,  soon  gained  for  him  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion. He  unhappily  embarked  in  politics,  and,  in  the 
French  Pe volution  of  1848,  those  who  were  jealous  of  his 
literary  and  scientific  fame,  and  those  who  were  embittered 
by  his  political  opposition,  combined  to  wreak  vengeance 
upon  him.  M.  Libri  was  well  known  as  an  ardent  book- 
lover  and  a  hunter  of  manuscripts,  and  he  had  sold  a  large 
collection  of  books  at  Paris,  as  well  as  numerous  manu- 
scripts to  Lord  Ashburnham.  His  book-love  was  seized 
upon  by  his  enemies  as  the  means  of  his  destruction,  and 
he  was  denounced,  not  as  a  petty  thief,  not  as  a  filcher  of 
single  volumes  merely,  but  as  a  wholesale  robber  who  had 

6 


44 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


stolen  hundreds  of  thousands  of  francs  by  despoiling  the 
public  libraries  of  their  literary  treasures.  His  books  and 
papers  were  seized,  and  he  left  his  adopted  country  and 
established  his  residence  in  London  to  avoid  the  virulence 
of  the  partizan  persecution  to  which  he  was  subjected. 
Years  elapsed  before  even  partial  justice  was  done  him,  but 
the  testimony  of  such  distinguished  French  scholars  as 
Guizot,  Paul  Lacroix,  the  Marquis  d'Audiffret,  Prosper 
Merimee,  and  many  others,  has  demonstrated  the  ground- 
lessness of  the  accusation.  A  number  of  pamphlets  were 
written  in  regard  to  this  strange  charge,  and  the  whole  con- 
stitutes a  remarkable  bibliographical  episode.  In  1859,  and 
the  half  dozen  years  succeeding,  M.  Libri,  influenced  by 
considerations  of  health,  sold  his  thirty  thousand  valuable 
volumes  at  auction.  His  sale  catalogues,  including  the  list 
of  prices  and  purchasers'  names,  are  embraced  in  seven 
volumes,  exclusive  of  the  French  parts,  and  they  are  veri- 
table treasures  to  the  bibliographer,  as,  in  addition  to 
numerous  notes  appended  to  the  titles  of  books,  they  are 
illustrated  by  many  elaborate  prints  and  cuts. 

In  this  library  there  were  splendid  manuscripts,  chiefly 
upon  vellum,  in  various  languages  of  Europe  and  the  East: 
there  were  unique  block  books,  and  specimens  of  early 
typography  and  art,  comprising  an  unknown  Kalendarium 
with  the  earliest  engravings  on  copper.    Then,  too,  among 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


45 


its  wealth  were  an  unrivalled  collection  of  works  printed 
upon    vellum ;    the    rarest   Aldine    and   Junta  editions ; 
Editiones  Principes  of  great  rarity ;  poems  and  romances  of 
chivalry  in  Italian,  French,  German,  Spanish,  and  other 
languages ;  an  extraordinary  series  of  ancient  Italian  litera- 
ture ;  early  and  probably  unique  musical  compositions ; 
scarce  works  respecting  America ;   Elzevirs  in  an  uncut 
state  ;  and  early  productions  of  the  English  press.  The 
book-bindings  formed  one  of  the  most  interesting  depart- 
ments of  this  magnificent  library,  for  in  it  were  many  vol- 
umes having  ornamented  covers  in  ivory,  metal,  silver  gilt, 
etc.,  executed  from  the  sixth  to  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
enriched  with  enamels,  antique  cameos,  and  precious  stones. 
Then  there  was  a  superb  and  unique  collection  of  historical 
bindings  showing  the  progress  of  the  bibliopegic  art  since 
the  fifteenth  century  by  means  of  about  fifteen  hundred 
volumes  in  old  ornamented  morocco  or  calf,  with  the. 
arms  or  devices  of  former  owners.     Among  them  were 
eighteen  volumes  formerly  belonging  to  Grollier,  several 
volumes  in  the  splendid  bindings  of  Maioli,  Diana  of 
Poictiers,  De  Thou,  Count  d'Hoym,  and  other  famous  book 
lovers,  and  including  books  with  the  arms  of  scores  of 
papal,  regal,  or  noble  owners  upon  them,  the  whole  being 
in  the  most  perfect  state  of  preservation. 

George  Daniel,  Henry  Perkins,  and  Sir  William  Tite 


46 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


formed  a  trio,  at  the  dispersion  of  whose  libraries  many 
book-lovers  of  our  day  secured  treasures  that  delighted 
their  hearts.  The  ten  days  sale  of  Daniel,  in  July,  1864, 
realized  fifteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-five 
pounds.  The  first  seven  days  were  devoted  to  books  ;  and 
the  remainder  to  drawings,  engravings,  and  miscellaneous 
objects  of  art  and  virtu.  There  were  many  choice  features 
in  this  interesting  collection,  not  the  least  of  which  was  the 
drama.  Unique  old  black  letter  ballads  abounded,  and  that 
class  of  lore  embraced  under  the  heads  of  Garlands,  Jests, 
Drolleries,  and  Songs,  was  especially  noticeable.  There 
were  also  two  Missals  of  the  finest  quality  and  in  the 
purest  condition ;  and  the  library  contained  the  choicest 
copies  of  works  in  general  literature,  many  of  them  being 
illustrated  with  curious  peculiarities  conferring  an  unique 
distinction,  and  greatly  tending  to  enhance  their  impor- 
tance. 

No  assemblage  of  literature  has  achieved  a  wider  noto- 
riety in  our  time,  than  the  Perkins  collection.  When  it 
passed  under  the  hammer,  in  June,  1873,  it  brought  twenty- 
six  thousand  pounds,  the  largest  sum  ever  realized  for  the 
same  number  of  volumes,  the  sale  catalogue .  containing 
eight  hundred  and  sixty-five  lots,  thus  giving  an  average  of 
rather  more  than  thirty  pounds  per  lot.  The  Duke  of  Eox- 
burghe's  sale  was  rendered  famous  by  the  Valdarfer  Boccac- 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  47 

cio's  bringing  a  higher  price  than  any  book  had  ever  before 
produced,  but  that  figure  was  largely  exceeded  at  the  Per- 
kins auction  by  the  Mazarin  Bible  on  vellum,  which 
brought  thirty-four  hundred  pounds  ;  while  another  copy  on 
paper  sold  for  twenty-six  hundred  and  ninety  pounds,  or 
four  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  more  than  the  Roxburgh e 
Valdarfer. 

The  late  Henry  Perkins  of  Springfield,  Surrey,  and 
afterwards  of  Hanworth  Park,  was  the  son  of  John  Perkins, 
well  known  to  the  readers  of  Boswell's  Johnson.  He  was 
educated  by  the  famous  Dr.  Parr,  under  whose  tuition  he 
acquired  his  love  for  books.  At  his  father's  death  he 
became  one  of  the  principal  partners  of  the  firm  of  Barclay, 
Perkins  &  Co.,  the  eminent  Brewers,  and  thus  possessed 
ample  means  to  gratify  his  taste.  He  made  his  grand  col- 
lection of  books  and  manuscripts  between  the  years  1820 
and  1830,  obtaining  them  chiefly  at  the  great  English  and 
Continental  sales  of  that  period.  Upon  his  decease,  about 
1855,  the  library  was  inherited  by  his  son,  Algernon  Per- 
kins, who  had  no  literary  taste  ;  and  at  his  death,  in  1872, 
without  leaving  a  son,  the  books  became  the  property  of 
two  nephews,  by  whose  order  they  were  sold.  This  collec- 
tion was  a  gathering  of  elegant  and  high  priced  rarities, 
rather  than  a  congruous  library.  On  turning  over  the 
leaves  of  the  elaborately  illustrated  catalogue  one's  eye 


48 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


rests  pleasurably  upon  several  very  valuable  County  Histo- 
ries, the  first  four  folios  of  Shakespeare,  and  some 
exceptionally  rare  books  from  the  presses  of  Caxton, 
Wynkyn  de  Worde,  Pynson,  Junta,  Verard,  and  other  emi- 
nent early  printers.  Four  Bibles,  other  than  the  two 
already  mentioned,  sold  for  an  aggregate  of  sixteen  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  pounds.  Brilliantly  illuminated  manu- 
scripts, including  Bibles,  Missals,  Hora?,  Chronicles,  etc., 
formed  a  specialty :  one  of  them  brought  thirteen  hundred 
and  twenty  pounds,  while  fourteen,  all  together,  brought 
the  enormous  sum  of  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
eighty-six  pounds. 

Sir  William  Tite  possessed  a  refined  and  cultivated 
mind.  He  was  the  author  of  numerous  addresses  and  lec- 
tures, and  occupied  a  high  position  in  the  society  of  archi- 
tects. He  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  collection  of 
manuscripts,  and  wrote  a  monograph  upon  the  subject. 
Having  a  great  fondness  for  books  he  gathered  together 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  libraries  that  has 
been  sold  for  many  years.  Original  editions,  books  of 
Hours,  specimens  of  the  early  printers,  early  English  poetry, 
dramatic  literature,  including  a  grand  collection  of  Shakes- 
peariana,  and  autographs  and  autographic  letters,  constitute 
its  chief  features.  After  Sir  William's  death  his  literary 
and  artistic  effects  were  dispersed,  and  the  sixteen  days  sale 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


49 


of  them,  which  occurred  in  May  and  June,  1874,  realized 
nineteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ten  pounds. 

The  late  Sir  Thomas  Phillipps,  of  Middle  Hill, 
Worcestershire,  was  a  man  of  large  learning,  and  one  of 
the  greatest  book  collectors  of  modern  times.  He  died 
February  sixth,  1872,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age. 
Thirty  years  before  his  death  his  library  was  said  to  have 
cost  him  one  hundred  thousand  pounds.  His  zeal  for 
manuscripts  seems  to  have  been  insatiable.  He  bought 
library  after  library,  and  collection  after  collection.  When 
Thorpe,  the  bookseller,  issued  a  catalogue  of  fourteen  hun- 
dred manuscripts,  Sir  Thomas  ordered  the  whole  of  them. 
He  bought  the  Meerman  library  of  Greek  manuscripts,  and 
accumulated  the  best  private  collection  of  monastic  cartu- 
laries known.  For  many  years  he  had  a  private  printing 
press  at  Middle  Hill,  from  which  issued  a  large  number  of 
heraldic,  historical,  and  antiquarian  works.  His  library  is 
happily  preserved  intact,  it  having  been  bequeathed  by  him 
to  one  of  his  daughters.* 


*Sir  Thomas  Phillipps,  in  a  death-bed 
will  made  a  few  days  hefore  his  decease, 
bequeathed  Thirlstane  House,  Chelten- 
ham, with  the  library,  which  literally 
filled  that  mansion,  to  his  youngest 
daughter,  Katherine,  Mrs.  Fenwick.  The 
bequest  is  coupled  with  some  strange 
conditions,  for  he  directed  that  his  collec- 
tion of  manuscripts,  library,  articles  of 


virtu,  pictures,  medals,  rings,  and  curi- 
osities, should  descend  as  heirlooms;  and 
that  no  rare  books  should  be  taken  out  of. 
the  library;  especially  that  no  bookseller 
or  stranger  should  be  allowed  to  arrange 
them,  but  that  the  whole  should  be  under 
the  entire  direction  of  his  said  daughter 
and  her  husband;  further,  that  no  Roman 
Catholic    should  ever  be  admitted  to 


50 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


We  have  lingered  so  long  on  the  fine  private  accumu- 
lations of  books  in  England,  that  not  even  the  literary 
wealth  of  Abbotsford,  the  "Cotton  Library"  of  Robert 
Southey,  as  he  used  to  call  his  calico  covered  books,  the 
noble  library  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  the  collection  of 
Frederick  North,  Earl  of  Guilford,  singularly  rich  in 
printed  books  and  manuscripts  of  Italian  and  Greek  litera- 
ture, enhanced  too  by  purchases  of  the  entire  libraries  of 
convents  during  his  visits  to  the  continent, — nor,  indeed,  any 
of  the  numerous  other  choice  and  valuable  libraries  of 
Great  Britain,  can  now  detain  us.  The  superb  collections 
of  continental  Europe  must  also  be  passed  by  in  silence. 

The  oldest  private  collection  in  America  that  has  been 
even  partially  preserved  to  us,  is  the  Prince  Library.  The 
Rev.  Thomas  Prince  was  born  at  Sandwich,  in  Plymouth 
Colony,  in  1687,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1707.  Ten  years  later  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Old 
South  Church  of  Boston;  and  there  he  remained  till  his 
death,  in  1758.  At  the  time  of  his  matriculation,  in  the 
sixteenth  year  of  his  age,  he  systematically  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  a  collection  of  books  and  manuscripts,  which,  with 
unfailing  zeal,  and  under  the  most  favorable  opportunities 


inspect  his  library,  books,  or  manu- 
scripts. This  last  provision  was  particu- 
larly aimed  at  his  eldest  daughter  and 


her  husband;  the  husband  being  the  cel- 
ebrated Shakespearian  scholar,  James 
Orchard  Halliwell. 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


51 


in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  he  cherished  and  enriched 
during  his  long  life.  He  bequeathed  his  library  to  the 
church  over  which  he  had  so  long  officiated,  and  it 
remained  in  the  church  edifice  till  the  early  part  of  the 
present  century,  suffering  much  from  depredations,  espe- 
cially during  the  Revolutionary  War.  In  1866,  all  that 
remained  of  the  collection  was  happily  removed  to  the 
Boston  Public  Library,  where  its  precious  stores  are  now 
available  to  all  who  can  appreciate  them.  A  considerable 
portion  of  it  relates  to  the  civil  and  religious  history  of  New 
England;  and  in  its  depleted  state  it  numbers  not  much 
short  of  fifteen  hundred  books  and  tracts  printed  in,  or  per- 
taining to  x\merica. 

During  the  period  of  our  colonial  history,  says  Profes- 
sor Justin  Winsor  of  Harvard  College,  the  Mather  family 
and  Governor  Hutchinson  are  alone  to  be  compared  with 
Prince,  as  collectors  of  books  and  manuscripts.  Their 
labors  in  this  direction  avail  us  little  now,  for  the  Gov- 
ernor's collection  was  scattered  by  a  mob,  while  the 
Mathers'  has  been  gradually  dispersed. 

Massachusetts  has  ever  been  famous  for  its  literary 
atmosphere,  and  few,  if  any,  of  the  other  colonies  could 
rival  it  in  ante -Revolutionary  times,  either  in  the  number, 
or  size,  of  its  book-collections. 

One  of  the  finest  private  libraries  in  Boston,  or  its 

7 


52 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


environs,  in  its  day,  at  least  so  says  Edward  Everett, 
belonged  to  the  late  Thomas  Dowse,  who,  in  1858,  shortly 
before  his  death,  gave  it  to  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society.  So  great  was  this  collector's  zeal  for  books  that  a 
few  autobiographical  lines  found  in  the  second  volume  of 
the  Life,  Letters  and  Journals  of  George  Ticknor,  cannot 
fail  to  be  of  interest. 

"When  I  was  twenty-eight  years  old,"  says  Dowse,  "I 
had  never  been  anything  better  than  a  journeyman  leather- 
dresser;  I  had  never  had  more  than  twenty-five  dollars  a 
month ;  I  had  never  paid  five  dollars  to  be  carried  from  one 
place  to  another ;  I  had  never  owned  a  pair  of  boots ;  I  had 
never  paid  a  penny  to  go  to  the  play  or  to  see  a  sight,  but  I 
owned  above  six  hundred  volumes  of  good  books,  well 
bound." 

It  is  no  part  of  our  purpose,  however,  to  enumerate 
the  private  collections  of  books  in  this  country.  Mr. 
Luther  Farnham,  in  "A  Glance  at  Private  Libraries,"  has 
afforded  us  some  insight  to  the  most  considerable  collec- 
tions in  and  around  Boston  a  score  of  years  ago,  and  Dr. 
Wynne  has  treated  us  to  a  stout  octavo  volume  upon  the 
"Private  Libraries  of  New  York,"  as  they  were  in  1860. 

A  description  of  some  of  the  most  considerable  private 
libraries  of  this  country  would  form  a  really  interesting  vol- 
ume ;  for,  in  addition  to  those  referred  to  by  Farnham  and 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


53 


Wynne,  there  are  not  a  few  elegant  and  extensive  collec- 
tions like  those  of  Robert  Hoe,  Jr.,  Joseph  W.  Drexel,  and 
S.  Whitney  Phoenix,  of  New  York,  Charles  H.  Kalbfleisch 
of  Brooklyn,  Theodore  Irwin  of  Oswego,  Irving  Browne  of 
Troy,  President  White  of  Cornell  University,  E.  G.  A  say  of 
Chicago,  Hubert  H.  Bancroft  of  San  Francisco,  the  late 
George  Brinley  of  Hartford,  and  numerous  others,  that 
have  never  been  described  at  all,  or  only  in  the  ephemeral 
pages  of  a  newspaper  or  a  magazine.  Descriptions  of  the 
choice  and  extensive  collections  of  engravings  of  Henry  F. 
Sewall  of  New  York,  and  James  L.  Claghorn  of  Philadel- 
phia, would  also  afford  fitting  themes  ;  and  in  a  sketch  of 
Theodore  Irwin's  library,  his  remarkably  fine  engravings 
would  not  be  omitted.  Not  the  least  attractive  chapter  of 
such  a  work  might  relate  to  book-sales.  The  process  by 
which  such  preposterous  prices  were  obtained  at  the  Fowle 
sale  in  Boston,  in  1864,  when  large  paper  copies  of  the 
Oxford  classics  were  jockeyed  up  to  hundreds  of  dollars, 
and  Munsell's  reprints  were  made  to  bring  many  times  their 
value,  could  then  be  adequately  explained.  There,  too, 
would  figure  the  Rice  sale,  with  its  forty-two  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  treasures  ;  the  dramatic  stores  of  Burton ; 
the  sumptuous  volumes  of  William  Menzies  ;  and  a  long  list 
of  other  scattered  libraries.  Another  feature  of  such  a  work 
might  be  graphic  sketches  of  the  old  booksellers  and  auc- 


54 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


tioneers:  —  men  like  the  late  William  Gowans,  whose  stock 
of  second-hand  books  was  well  nigh  as  numerous  as  the 
sands  of  the  sea;  — the  late  John  Keese,  whose  exuberant 
humor  turned  his  book-sales  into  feasts  of  merriment ; — the 
veteran  Joseph  Sabin,*  that  walking  encyclopaedia  of  anec- 


*  William  Gowan  — Gowans  he  used  to 
call  himself  in  the  later  portion  of  his 
life  — was  an  antiquarian  "bookseller  in 
New  York  for  more  than  forty  years.  The 
fifth  of  a  family  of  nine  sons,  he  was  born 
in  the  Parish  of  Lismahagow,  Lanark- 
shire, Scotland,  March  23,  1803,  and  died 
in  New  York,  November  27,  1870.  His 
parents,  in  the  hope  that  he  would  enter 
the  ministry,  kept  him  at  school  until  his 
fifteenth  year,  when,  for  some  reason 
unknown,  this  project  was  abandoned, 
and  he  was  put  to  work  on  his  father's 
farm. 

In  1821  the  family  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  in  Fredonia,  Crawford  County, 
Indiana.  Gowans'  first  occupation  in  this 
country  was  as  a  boatman  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, beginning  as  a  hired  hand,  and 
then  running  a  flat  boat  on  his  own 
account.  His  third  trip  proved  disastrous, 
and  he  sold  boat  and  cargo  in  New 
Orleans  and  left  for  New  York,  where  he 
arrived  May  1G,  1825.  For  two  years  he 
found  employment  successively  as  a  gar- 
dener, a  stone  cutter,  a  stevedore,  a  folder 
and  carrier  of  newspapers,  and  as  an 
attache  of  the  old  Bowery  Theatre. 
Finally  in  May,  1827,  he  obtained  a  situa- 
tion as  clerk  in  a  book-store.  Two 
months  later,  being  attacked  with  small- 


pox, he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his 
clerkship.  This  short  experience  in  a 
book-store,  however,  seems  to  have  been 
the  turning  point  in  his  career,  and  to 
have  determined  his  occupation  for  life ; 
for  in  the  following  winter  he  began  the 
book  business  on  his  own  account,  buying 
his  books  at  the  evening  book-sales  and 
peddling  them  through  the  streets  by 
day.  The  success  of  his  enterprise 
induced  him,  in  the  spring  of  1828,  to  open 
a  book-stall  on  the  sidewalk  in  trout  of 
121  Chatham  street.  After  one  or  two 
removals,  he  hired  the  entire  premises 
at  121  Chatham  street  and  prosecuted 
business  upon  a  much  more  extended 
scale.  During  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
with  the  exception  of  a  year  in  1840-41 
when  absent  in  Europe,  he  was  iden- 
tified with  the  book-trade  in  New  York, 
being  located  at  different  times  on 
Liberty,  Fulton,  Centre,  and  Nassau 
streets.  Gowans  never  attempted  author- 
ship, save  in  the  extended  notes  scattered 
through  his  later  book-catalogues,  and 
which,  in  many  instances,  give  his  recol- 
lections of  authors  and  other  celebrated 
persons.  These  notes,  though  purporting 
to  be  from  a  work  styled,  "  Western 
Memorabilia,"  are  really  from  his  own 
vigorous,  but  not  very  elegant  pen. 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


55 


dote  and  information  relating  to  books  and  book-men  ;  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  fraternity,  which,  it  must  be  confessed,  is 


We  take  the  following  from  Mr.  William 
C.  Prime's  article  upon  "Old  Books  in 
New  York,"  in  the  number  of  Harper's 
Magazine  for  February,  1872:— "It  is  not 
likely  that  we  shall  soon  see  such  a  man 
or  such  a  store  again.  He  had  been  for 
many  years  in  the  business,  and  con- 
ducted it  on  principles  quite  different 
from  any  other  of  the  numerous  dealers 
in  old  books.  His  stock  always  grew, 
never  diminished.  He  confined  his  pur- 
chases to  no  one  department  of  literature. 
Hence  it  resulted  that  his  gatherings 
were  immense,  and  included  works  of 
every  description;  and  shortly  before  his 
death,  when  he  had,  as  well  as  was  possi- 
ble under  the  circumstances,  taken  an 
account  of  his  stock,  he  estimated  that  he 
had  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
bound  volumes  on  hand,  and  pamphlets 
by  myriads. 

"Such  a  merchant  deserves  to  be 
remembered  on  more  accounts  than  one. 
He  commenced  life  a  poor  boy,  was 
always  renowned  for  his  strict  integrity 
and  unimpeachable  veracity,  and  by  hon- 
est and  steadfast  labor  had  acquired  a 
respectable  fortune  in  addition  to  his 
vast  accumulation  of  books.  He  had 
peculiar  ways  of  his  own,  was  esteemed 
by  many  a  gruff  and  not  over  polite 
dealer;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he  had 
favorites  among  the  numerous  seekers 
after  old  books,  and  with  them  was 
always  genial,  communicative,  fond  of 
anecdote,  and  very  cheery  

"  The  stock  was  probably  the  largest  of 


the  kind  in  the  world.  We  do  not  know 
of  any  such  accumulation  elsewhere, 
although  we  have  examined  many  of  the 
great  collections  in  the  hands  of  book- 
sellers. There  were  many  more  valuable 
collections,  but  none  so  large,  and  proba- 
bly none  so  wholly  without  arrangement. 
The  stock  was  contained  in  a  Nassau 
Street  building,  on  the  first  floor,  the  base- 
ment, and  a  sub-cellar.  The  floors  were 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  in  depth  from 
front  to  rear.  Originally  the  sides  were 
shelved  to  the  ceiling,  and  two  rows  of 
tables  ran  down  the  length  of  the  first 
floor.  But  as  the  stock  increased  it  was 
piled,  first  on  tables,  then  on  the  floors, 
until  the  mass  of  books  was  everywhere 
impenetrable,  except  by  narrow  alleys 
running  here  and  there,  and  at  length  the 
piles  began  to  topple  over  and  fall  into 
the  alleys,  so  that  the  careless  investiga- 
tor was  likely  to  tread  on  books  at  every 
step.  The  basement  was  a  wonder. 
There  was  no  gas,  and  the  trusted  cus- 
tomer who  was  permitted  to  search  in  its 
gloomy  recesses  was  furnished  with  a 
kerosene  lamp  having  no  chimney,  and 
casting  a  dim,  flaring  light  on  vast  piles 
lying  in  confusion  everywhere,  and 
which,  in  several  parts  of  the  long  room, 
were  not  less  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in 
thickness.  Of  course  thousands  of  books 
were  buried  out  of  sight  in  these  masses, 
and  the  owner  himself  knew  little  of 
what  he  possessed  in   his  great  cata. 

combs  

"  Our  old  friend  in  New  York  had  grown 


56 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


held  by  many  book-lovers  in  grateful  remembrance.  We 
commend  the  development  of  the  subject  to  some  book- 


up  from  selling  in  the  street-stall,  where 
second-hand  school-books  and  all  kinds  of 
cheap  literature  had  their  value,  and  he 
had  never  lost  the  habits  of  trade  in 
which  he  began  life.  So  he  had  an 
immense  amount  of  print  on  hand,  which 
damaged  instead  of  adding  to  the  salable 
value  of  the  white  paper.  For  every 
book  which  was  worth  keeping,  there 
were  five  or  ten  that  should  have  been 
sold  to  the  paper-dealers. 

"  But,  for  all  that,  there  were  treasures 
in  that  Nassau  Street  cellar  which  were 
worth  hunting  after,  though  it  was  work 
to  hunt  for  them.  It  was  like  excavating 
in  old  ruins.  One  could  never  tell  what 
would  turn  up,  and  now  and  then  it  was 
startling  to  see  the  jewels  that  came  out 
of  the  heap." 

After  Gowans'  death  his  entire  stock 
was  catalogued  and  sold  at  public  auc- 
tion. 


John  Keese,  son  of  William  and 
Rebecca  (Linn)  Keese,  was  born  Novem- 
ber twenty-fourth,  1805,  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  he  lived  all  his  life.  He  was 
of  a  good  family,  his  father  having  been 
a  lawyer  of  some  repute,  and  his  mother's 
father  being  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Linn, 
a  distinguished  author  and  divine  in  the 
early  years  of  this  century.  When  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  Keese  became  a 
clerk  with  Collins  &  Hannay,  booksellers 
and  publishers,  then  located  on  Pearl 


street.  In  1836  he  started  on  his  own 
account  in  the  then  newly  formed  firm 
of  Collins,  Keese  &  Co.,  which  con- 
tinued until  February,  1842.  He  next 
went  into  partnership  with  James  E. 
Cooley  and  Horatio  Hill,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Cooley,  Keese  &  Hill.  Here  his 
career  as  an  auctioneer  began,  and  thus 
was  established  this  famous  firm  of  book 
auctioneers.  Their  sales-room  was  first  at 
157  (then  191)  Broadway,  corner  of  Dey 
Street,  and  afterwards  at  277  Broadway, 
corner  of  White  street.  After  a  few  years 
the  firm  became  Cooley  &  Keese,  and  so 
continued  until  its  dissolution  in  1853  or 
1854,  when  Keese,  whose  voice  was  failing 
through  a  bronchial  difficulty,  was  ap- 
pointed Appraiser  of  Books  in  the  Cus- 
tom House.  While  thus  employed  he 
occasionally,  as  health  permitted,  offi- 
ciated as  auctioneer  at  evening  sales;  but 
the  strain  aggravated  his  complaint, 
which  ended  in  pulmonary  consumption, 
of  which  he  died  May  thirtieth,  1856. 

We  have  obtained  these  details  about 
Keese  from  his  son,  Mr.  William  Linn 
Keese;  and  we  have  gleaned  the  following 
anecdotes  from  a  pleasant  article  from 
the  graceful  pen  of  Mr.  Evert  A. 
Duyckinck,  in  the  number  of  "  The  Maga- 
zine of  American  History"  for  August, 
1877. 

"I  knew  him  chiefly,"  says  Mr.  Duyc- 
kinck in  a  private  letter,  "in  his  maturity 
as  the  wittiest  book-autioneer  we  have 
had  in  New  York  In  the  auction 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  57 

lover  that  wields  a  facile  pen,  as  a  pleasant  recreation  for 
his  leisure  hours. 


room  he  was  supreme.  There  were  few 
books  which  from  some  capability  or 
other  in  the  author,  or  their  subject,  did 
not  furnish  him  with  a  jest,  usually  in  the 
shape  of  some  subtile  pun,  which  in  his 
quiet,  nervous  way  he  would  slip  in  with 
inimitable  dexterity."  The  manner,  quite 
as  much  as  the  matter,  lent  point  to  his 
witticisms,  and  though  the  effective  man. 
ner  cannot  be  reproduced,  yet  the  reader 
who  never  had  the  pleasure  of  listening 
to  him,  may,  perhaps,  form  some  idea  of 
the  style  of  the  man  from  as  much  of 
some  of  his  pleasantries  as  we  can  get 
down  on  paper. 

When  Cooley,  Keese  &  Hill  opened  their 
sales-room  at  157  Broadway  a  collation 
was  served  to  the  trade.  Keese,  in  the 
capacity  of  host,  made  a  little  speech,  in 
the  course  of  which  he  said,— "If  you  have 
any  dealings  with  us,  my  friends,  it  will 
be  pleasant,  for  we  shall  take  things 
coolly  (Cooley);  if  you  should  have  any 
doubt  as  to  the  security  of  property  left 
with  us,  remember  that  it  is  under  most 
excellent  keys  (Keese) ;  and  as  for  our 
stability,  you  may  rely  upon  one  of  the 
granite  Hills  of  New  Hampshire."  Later 
on  he  remarked,  "  Gentlemen,  we  are 
casting  our  bread  upon  the  waters,  and 
we  expect  to  find  it  after  many  days- 
buttered."  When  called  upon  at  a  gather- 
ing of  mill-owners  and  manufacturers  at 
Saugerties,  on  the  Hudson,  he  concluded 
his  speech  with  this  sentiment  — "  The 
village  of  Saugerties :  may  its  furnaces  be 
blasted  and  its  streams  dammed." 


Cooley  was  large  in  person  and  of  a  fine 
presence:  Keese,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
short,  meagre  and  nervous.  Once  when 
selling  a  print  by  Landseer,  "  Dignity  and 
Impudence,"  illustrated  by  a  fine,  large, 
sedate  mastiff,  and  a  pert,  shaggy,  little 
terrier,  the  auctioneer  Avas  asked  for  the 
name  of  the  engraving.  "Oh,"  said  he, 
"I  don't  know,  unless  it  is  Cooley  and 
Keese."  A  book  of  the  Kev.  Dr.  Hawks 
would  bring  out  the  quiet  elucidation, 
"a  bird  of  pray."  His  own  children  he 
would  denominate  as  "his  bunch  of 
Keys."  Gutzkiffs  China  he  presented 
with  the  remark  that  "  This  was  the  gen- 
tleman with  a  commotion  in  his  bowels;" 
and  he  struck  off  Bacon's  Essays  patheti- 
cally observing,  "  Really,  this  is  too  much 
pork  for  a  shilling  "  Gowans  was  a  con- 
stant attendant  at  Keese's  sales,  where  he 
picked  up  much  of  his  heterogeneous 
stock.  One  day  the  auctioneer  put  up  a 
volume  of  religious  poetry  by  a  lady. 

"Who  is  Miss   ?"  asked  Gowans, 

mentioning  the  author's  name.  "  She  is  a 
poor  and  pious  person,  and  wrote  poor 
and  pious  poems,"  promptly  replied 
Keese.  When  offering  a  book  entitled 
"History  of  the  Tatars,"  some  one 
inquired— is  not  that  Tartars?  "  No,"  was 
the  immediate  answer,  "  their  wives  were 
the  Tartars."  He  would  knock  down  a 
ponderous  folio,  dragging  at  a  feeble 
price,  with  "going  — going,  cheap  for  a 
back-log;"  and  of  a  "Hand-Book,"  going 
begging,  he  would  remark,  "  You  will  see 
that  it  is  pretty  well  fingered."   At  the 


58 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


The  taste  for  books  is  as  diverse  as  the  fancies  of  men. 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  we   have  seen,  was  especially 


sale  of  a  copy  of  Walts'  Hymns  he  broke 
out  with  this  parody  :— 

"  Blest  is  the  man  who  shuns  the  place, 
Where  other  auctions  be, 
And  has  his  money  in  his  fist, 
And  buys  his  books  of  me !  " 

The  person  who  unhappily  turned  Keese's 
wit  against  himself,  would  be  apt  to 
remember  it.  For  lack  of  a  bidder  some- 
times a  book  would  be  knocked  off  to 
Gowans,  or  to  some  other  frequenter  of 
his  sales,  who  would  naturally  shake  his 
head  in  refusal,  eliciting  from  the  auc- 
tioneer the  remark— "You  needn't  shake 
your  head,  there's  nothing  in  it"  — adding 
after  a  pause,  "  I  mean  the  book."  "  Is 
that  binding  calf?  "  asked  a  cautious  bid- 
der, distrustful  of  the  auctioneer's  repre- 
sentation. "Come  up,  my  good  friend, 
put  your  hand  on  it,  and  see  if  there  is 
any  fellow  feeling,"  was  the  ready  reply. 
"Tom,"  said  Keese  one  day,  when  a  visi- 
tor was  strumming  on  a  piano  sent  for 
sale  among  some  articles  of  furniture— 
"  tell  that  gentleman  to  stop,  the  piano  is 
not  his  forte."  Of  course  he  had  much 
soiled  and  shop-worn  stuff  to  work  off, 
and  thus  he  would  meet  deprecatory 
remarks  or  inquiries  as  to  the  condition  of 
books:  "Damaged!  you  say?  yes,  a  little 
wet  on  the  outside— but  you  will  find  it 
dry  enough  within."  "Isn't  it  damaged?" 
asked  the  son  of  an  Episcopalian  clergy- 


man, when  a  soiled  copy  of  the  'Book  of 
Common  Prayer'  was  offered  for  sale. 
'■'■Damaged!"  exclaimed  Keese  in  well 
feigned  astonishment,  fixing  his  gaze 
gravely  on  the  inquirer— "  has  your 
father  taught  you  to  regard  that  as  a  dam- 
aged book  ?  " 

But  Keese  did  not  content  himself  with 
the  outsides  of  books  alone,  tor  he  edited 
several  publications:  one  of  these  a  book 
of  selections  of  poetry,  was  entitled  "  The 
Mourners'  Chaplet,"  a  volume  of  consola- 
tion prepared,  it  is  said,  after  the  loss  of  a 
son.  He  wrote  a  memoir  of  his  Mend, 
Lucy  Hooper  of  Brooklyn,  which  was  pre- 
fixed to  a  collection  of  her  poems.  He 
also  edited  a  volume  of  poems  by  Mrs.  E. 
Oakes  Smith,  and  one  or  two  annuals  — 
"The  Wintergreen,  a  Perennial  Gift,"  in 
1844,  and  "The  Opal,  a  Pure  Gift  for  the 
Holidays,"  in  1847.  In  1840  and  1842  he 
edited  two  volumes  of  poems,  selections, 
entitled  "  Poets  of  America,  illustrated  by 
one  of  her  Painters;"  the  painter  referred 
to  being  Chapman.  In  1840,  he  superin- 
tended the  literary  department  of  a 
series  of  views,  in  quarto,  entitled  "North 
American  Scenery,  from  drawings  by 
Whitefield."  He  once,  at  least,  appeared 
in  public  as  a  lecturer,  in  a  course  deliv- 
ered in  the  Broadway  Tabernacle,  in  1852, 
taking  for  his  theme  the  rather  compre- 
hensive subject,  "  The  Influence  of  Knowl- 
edge." 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  59 

attracted  by  the  drama ;  and  this,  with  old  English  poetry, 
is  a  favorite  department  of  literature  with  book  collectors. 


Joseph  Sabin  was  born  in  Brannston, 
Northamptonshire,  England,  December 
fifth,  1821.  Wbilst  not  yet  ten  years  of  age 
he  was  sent  to  school  at  Oxford,  and  at 
fourteen  was  apprenticed  to  a  bookseller 
tbere.  When  out  of  his  time  he  opened  a 
bookstore  in  that  city,  and  married  there. 
A  dissenter  at  the  very  fountain  head  of 
High  Churchmansbip,  and  embarking  in 
Church  polemics  in  a  little  book  entitled, 
"The  XXXIX.  Articles  of  the  Church  of 
England,  with  Scriptural  Proofs  and  Ref- 
erences," which  he  edited  and  published 
in  1814,— a  republican  in  politics  and 
decidedly  outspoken  in  the  expression  of 
his  views  where  the  majority  were  of  pro- 
nounced tory  proclivities,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  young  bookseller  failed 
to  meet  with  satisfactory  success.  He 
therefore  embarked  for  New  York  in  the 
spring  of  1848,  with  the  intention  of  settling 
upon  land  in  Texas,  which  he  had  com 
tracted  for  in  England  through  some  colo- 
nization scheme.  Arriving  in  this  coun- 
try he  concluded,  after  consultation  with 
his  friends  here,  to  abandon  the  project 
of  going  to  Texas.  He  soon  removed  to 
Philadelphia  and  entered  the  employ  of 
George  S  Appleton,  a  bookseller,  where 
he  remained  till  May,  1850,  when  he  took  a 
situation  with  Cooley  &  Keese  of  New 
York.  He  continued  with  this  firm  until 
they  sold  out  to  Lyman  &  Rawdon,  and 
then  he  went  with  the  business  into  their 
service,  quitting  it  in  1852  for  Bangs, 
Brothers  &  Co.,  the  predecessors  of 
8 


Bangs,  Merwin  &  Co.,  and  the  present 
firm  of  Bangs  &  Co. 

While  in  the  employment  of  these  three 
last  named  auction  houses,  he  was  chiefly 
engaged  in  making  catalogues,  a  business 
he  had  learned  at  Oxford,  beginning  when 
he  was  sixteen  years  old,  and  for  which 
his  great  knowledge  of  books  and  decided 
taste  for  reading  signally  fitted  him. 

In  1856  he  began  business  in  New  York 
on  his  own  account  as  a  bookseller,  at  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Canal  Street,  up 
stairs.  The  following  year  he  moved  on 
to  a  farm  in  Philadelphia,  which  he  had 
bought  several  years  before,  and  carried 
on  book-selling  in  that  city  at  No.  27  South 
Sixth  Street.  There  he  remained  till  1861, 
when  the  rebellion  broke  him  up  in  busi- 
ness. For  the  succeeding  two  years  he 
occupied  his  time  in  gathering  and  mould- 
ing material  for  his  magnum  opus,  A  Die- 
tfonary  of  Books  relating  to  America ;  and 
since  then  he  has  made  several  trips  to 
Europe  in  the  prosecution  of  this  work, 
and  in  the  buying  of  rare  books. 

About  1863  he  bought  out  the  book  busi- 
ness of  Michael  Nunan  at  84  Nassau  Street, 
New  York,  and  there  he  has  remained 
ever  since.  Some  six  years  after  locating 
in  Nassau  Street  he  took  his  two  eldest 
sons  into  partnership,  forming  the  firm  of 
J.  Sabin  &  Sons;  and  since  then  a  third 
son  has  been  admitted.  This  concern  like- 
wise has  a  branch  house  in  London.  Since 
Nunan  was  bought  out,  the  business  has 
been  increased  nearly  ten  fold ;  the  rarest 


60  ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 

Fngland  was  the  specialty  of  the  famous  antiquary,  Sir 
Robert  Cotton ;  and  a  host  of  American  collectors  diligently 
gather  together  whatever  illustrates  the  history  of  their 
country.  Xylography  and  typography  have  a  long  train 
of  admirers,  and  so  has  nearly  every  subject  upon  which 
books  have  been  issued. 

The  specialties  of  collections  are  more  various  than  the 
hues  of  the  rainbow.  Mr.  Francis  Fry  of  Bristol,  England, 
is  an  indefatigable  collector  of  Bibles,  and  he  has  succeeded 
in  bringing  together  more  than  one  thousand  editions  of 


unci  most  costly  books  have  been  added  to 
the  stock,  and  nowhere  in  this  country  is 
there  so  large  an  assortment  of  engrav- 
ings to  be  found. 

Probably  no  one  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic  has  made  so  many  catalogues  of 
libraries  as  Mr.  Sabin,  and  but  for  most 
laborious  habits,  he  never  could  have 
accomplished  so  much.  This  is  the  testi- 
mony of  the  late  William  Gowans  quoted 
from  his  catalogue  for  1869,  when  speaking 
of  a  valuable  library  then  recently  sold, 
the  catalogue  of  which  had  been  inade- 
quately prepared  by  an  inexperienced 
hand:— "Mr.  Joseph  Sabin  should  have 
been  the  compiler.  His  wonderful  knowl- 
edge of  books,  their  various  editions, 
whether  rare  or  plentiful,  here  or  else- 
where, their  market  value,  and  divers 
other  peculiarities,  render  him  eminently 
fitted  for  such  an  undertaking."  Mr. 
Sabin's  latest  work,  a  Bibliography  of 
Bibliography,  being  a  catalogue  of  books 


relating  to  books,  has  but  recently  been 
issued  in  book  form. 

Mr.  Sabin's  Reprints  of  rare  American 
works  has  made  him  known  as  a  pub. 
lisher.  As  an  author,  besides  the  works 
already  referred  to,  he  has  contributed  to 
various  periodicals.  The  book-lover, 
however,  will  hold  him  in  especially 
grateful  remembrance  as  a  co-publisher  of 
"  The  American  Bibliopolist,  a  Literary 
Register  and  Monthly  Catalogue  of  Old 
and  New  Books,  and  Repository  of  Notes 
and  Queries."  Mr.  Sabin  has  a  vast  fund 
of  humor  and  literary  anecdote  at  com- 
mand, with  which  he  enlivens  the  book 
auctions  conducted  by  him.  Many  a  book 
buyer  associates  with  some  of  his  choicest 
treasures  that  Nassau  Street  basement 
and  the  genial  countenance  of  Joseph 
Sabin.  Long  may  he  remain  in  the  flesh 
to  dispense  his  prints  and  volumes  to 
appreciative  purchasers ! 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


61 


the  English  Bible,  Testaments,  Psalms,  etc.,  most  of  them 
prior  to  1700.  The  collection  of  Bibles  in  the  Lenox 
Library  of  New  York  is  probably  unsurpassed,  save  by  the 
British  Museum,  in  rare  and  valuable  editions,  especially  in 
the  English  language.  The  famous  collection  of  Bibles  in 
the  Royal  Library  of  Stuttgart  is  said  to  exceed  seven  thou- 
sand editions ;  and  in  the  library  of  Wolfenbiittel  there  are 
some  five  thousand.  The  Library  of  the  British  Museum 
undoubtedly  contains  by  far  the  richest  collection  of  Bibles 
in  the  world,  numbering,  at  present,  above  sixteen  thousand 
titles* 

On  the  other  hand  the  Baron  Seymour  Kirkup,  an 
English  artist  long  resident  in  Florence,  who  was  enno- 
bled by  the  Grand-Duke  of  Tuscany,  and  whose  library 
was  sold  in  London  in  December,  1871,  made  a  large  col- 
lection of  works  on  Demonology,  Witchcraft,  Alchemy, 
Astrology,  Table  Turning,  and  other  occult  sciences. 
The  Baron  was  by  no  means  alone  in  his  tastes,  as,  for 
the  gratification  of  such  as  he,  a  well  known  publishing 
house  of  New  York  issued,  in  1874,  a  catalogue  with 
the  following  cheerful  title: — "  Bibliotheca  Diabolica ; 
Being  a  Choice  Selection  of  the  most  valuable  books  relat- 
ing to  The  Devil ;  His  Origin,  Greatness,  and  Influence, 
Comprising  the  most  important  works  on  the  Devil,  Satan, 

*  Catalogue  of  the  Caxton  Exhibition.    1877.   Class  C.  Holy  Scriptures. 


62 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


Demons,  Hell,  Hell-Torments,  Magic,  Witchcraft,  Sorcery, 
Divination,  Superstitions,  Angels,  Ghosts,  etc.,  etc.  With 
some  curious  volumes  on  Dreams  and  Astrology.  In  Two 
Parts,  Pro  and  Con — Serious  and  Humorous  Chronologi- 
cally arranged  with  Notes,  Quotations,  and  Proverbs,  and 
a  Copious  Index.  Illustrated  with  Twelve  Curious  Designs. 
On  sale  by  Scribner,  Welford  &  Armstrong." 

If  one  desires  gentler  themes  for  his  collection  there  is 
a  French  Bibliography,  in  six  finely  printed  duodecimo 
volumes,  filled  with  the  titles  of  works  relating  solely  to 
"  Love,  Woman,  and  Marriage." 

Privately  printed  books  and  large  paper  copies  have 
each  their  devotees,  though  Richard  Heber  hated  large 
paper  copies,  because  they  required  so  much  room. 

Marshal  Junot  possessed  a  small  but  very  elegant 
library  of  books  printed  on  vellum,  two  or  three  volumes  in 
it,  however,  being  printed  entirely  on  silk. 

Illustrated  books,  or  those  enriched  with  original  draw- 
ings,  autographs,  and  plates,  not  issued  with  the  work, 
form  a  very  attractive  branch  of  book  collecting.  Dibdin 
describes  an  extraordinary  copy  of  Shakespeare  illustrated 
by  the  Dowager  Lady  Lucan.  "For  sixteen,  years,"  says 
he,  "  did  this  accomplished  Lady  pursue  the  pleasurable 
toil  of  illustration  ;  having  commenced  it  in  her  fiftieth, 
and  finished  it  in  her  sixty-sixth  year.    Whatever  of  taste, 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS.  63 

beauty,  and  judgment  in  decoration  —  by  means  of  portraits, 
landscapes,  houses,  and  tombs — flowers,  birds,  insects, 
heraldic  ornaments,  and  devices, —  could  dress  our  immortal 
bard  in  a  yet  more  fascinating  form,  has  been  accomplished 
by  the  noble  hand  which  undertook  so  Herculean  a  task  — 
and  with  a  truth,  delicacy  and  finish  of  execution,  which 
have  been  rarely  equalled !  These  magnificent  volumes 
(being  the  folio  edition  printed  by  Buhner)  are  at  once 
beautiful  and  secured  by  green  velvet  binding,  with  embossed 
clasps  and  corners  of  solid  silver,  washed  with  gold." 

The  late  William  E.  Burton,  the  eminent  comedian, 
devoted  some  of  his  leisure  hours  to  illustrating  a  folio 
Shakespeare,  which  he  extended  to  forty-two  volumes  by 
the  insertion  of  vast  wealth  of  elegant  plates.  An  illus- 
trated Shakespeare  was  lately  to  be  seen  at  the  book-store 
of  Mr.  J.  W.  Bouton,  of  New  York,  which,  though  still 
unbound,  was  said  to  have  cost  its  maker  the  sum  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

A  single  further  example  must  suffice  for  this  interest- 
ing feature  of  book-love,  and  that  shall  be  the  illustrated 
copy  of  Blomefield's  History  of  Norfolk,  which  the  taste 
and  industry  of  Dawson  Turner  expanded  into  nearly  sixty 
volumes  by  the  insertion  of  thousands  of  original  drawings, 
engravings,  and  other  additions,  the  catalogue  of  which 
alone  made  a  respectable  octavo  volume. 


64 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


The  bindings  of  books,  as  well  as  their  contents,  are 
likewise  made  a  marked  feature  of  collections,  particularly 
among  the  French,  and  immense  sums  are  sometimes 
lavished  upon  them.  Paul  Lacroix,  in  "The  Arts  in  the 
Middle  Ages,"  says, — "  Nearly  all  the  French  Kings,  espe- 
cially the  Valois,  were  passionately  fond  of  splendid  bind- 
ings. Catharine  de  Medicis  was  such  a  connoisseur  of 
finely-bound  books,  that  authors  and  booksellers,  who 
eagerly  presented  her  with  copies  of  their  works,  tried  to 
distinguish  themselves  in  the  choice  and  beauty  of  the  bind- 
ings which  they  had  made  expressly  for  her.  Henry  III., 
who  appreciated  handsomely-bound  books  no  less  than  his 
mother,  invented  a  very  singular  binding,  when  he  had 
instituted  the  Order  of  '  Penitents ; '  this  consisted  of  death's 
heads  and  cross  bones,  tears,  crosses,  and  other  instruments 
of  the  Passion,  gilt  or  stamped  on  black  morocco  leather, 
and  having  the  following  device,  '  Spes  mea  Deus '  (l  God  is 
my  hope '),  with  or  without  the  arms  of  France." 

The  Count  de  Montbrison,  in  1873,  paid  Duru,  a 
famous  French  binder,  twenty-four  hundred  francs  for  bind- 
ing a  single  volume,  and  fourteen  hundred  francs  for  bind- 
ing another.  M.  Libri,  as  we  have  seen,  had  gathered 
together  no  less  than  fifteen  hundred  books  whose  covers 
illustrated  the  advance  of  the  book-binder's  art  since  the 
fifteenth  century.    The  magnificent  library  of  M.  Lucien 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


65 


Rosny,  which  was  sold  in  Paris  in  1874,  besides  containing 
a  large  number  of  valuable  manuscripts  and  printed  books, 
was  peculiarly  rich  in  every  variety  of  binding,  from  the 
masterpieces  of  Bozeraine,  Derome,  and  Thouvenin,  down 
to  specimens  of  cat  skin.  The  hide  of  nearly  every  possi- 
ble animal  was  made  into  a  covering  for  his  books,  and 
crocodiles,  seals,  wolves,  tigers,  panthers,  foxes,  and  ser- 
pents even,  were  called  into  requisition  for  this  purpose. 

Peculiar  as  some  of  these  materials  seem,  there  have 
been  books  encased  in  covers  so  grim  as  to  make  them 
simply  repulsive.  "  The  Constitution  of  the  French 
Republic  of  1794,"  bound  in  human  skin,  was  sold  in  Paris 
in  1872  —  a  volume  said  to  have  emanated  from  the  famous 
Meudon  tannery,  which  was  denounced  to  the  convention 
by  Galette.  Such  binding,  however,  is  by  no  means 
extremely  rare,  as  the  public  library  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds 
contains  an  octavo  volume  bound  with  the  skin  of  an  exe-. 
cuted  murderer  ;  and  a  Russian  poet,  not  many  years  ago, 
presented  his  lady  love  with  his  works  bound  in  the  skin  of 
his  own  leg,  which  had  been  amputated  some  months 
before. 

But  enough  has  been  said  to  show  how  wide  spread  is 
the  love  of  books,  while  the  very  extravagances  of  some 
book-lovers  demonstrate  what  a  fascination  may  pervade  the 
collecting  of  books.     These  extravagances,  however,  are 


66 


ON  THE  LOVE  OF  BOOKS. 


only  the  rank  growth  that  mark  an  exuberant,  but  not  yet 
sufficiently  cultivated  zeal.  The  true,  ennobling  book  love 
we  would  advocate,  that  which  makes  one  wiser  and  better 
for  possessing  it,  is  fitly  indicated  in  Mrs.  Norton's  beautiful 
sonnet  addressed — 

TO  MY  BOOKS. 

"  Silent  companions  of  the  lonely  hour, 

Friends,  who  can  never  alter  or  forsake, 
Who  for  inconstant  roving  have  no  power, 

And  all  neglect,  perforce,  must  calmly  take,— 
Let  me  return  to  you;  this  turmoil  ending 

Which  worldly  cares  have  in  my  spirit  wrought, 
And,  o'er  your  old  familiar  pages  bending, 

Refresh  my  mind  with  many  a  tranquil  thought : 
Till,  haply  meeting  there,  from  time  to  time, 

Fancies,  the  audible  echo  of  my  own, 
'Twill  be  like  hearing  in  a  foreign  clime 

My  native  language  spoke  in  friendly  tone, 
And  with  a  sort  of  welcome  I  shall  dwell 

On  these,  my  unripe  musings,  told  so  well." 


T  H  E 

JOHis   CARTEE  BROWN 
LIBRARY.  " 


Julm  Carter  6nrtmt. 


THE 

JOEOT  OAKTER  BROWN  LIBRARY. 

The  biography  of  a  nation  embraces  all  its  works.  No  trifle  is  to  be 
neglected. 

Robert  Aris  Willmott. 

Sir  Archibald  Alison,  in  referring  to  America  and  the 
Americans  in  his  History  of  Europe,  says,  "  so  wholly  are 
they  regardless  of  historical  records  or  monuments,  that 
half  a  century  hence,  its  history,  even  of  these  times,  could 
only  be  written  from  the  archives  of  other  States."  A  refu- 
tation, in  some  measure  at  least,  of  this  broad  statement, 
seems  to  be  furnished  by  the  manner  in  which  later  English 
historians  have  resorted  for  material  to  a  single  private 
library  in  a  New  England  city  of  but  a  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants.  Sir  Arthur  Helps,  in  a  foot  note  to  the  third 
volume  of  his  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  writes, — 
"Puga's  Collection  of  Ordinances,  printed  in  Mexico  in 
1563,  in  folio,  is  the  earliest  summary  of  Spanish  Colonial 


70 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


law,  relating  to  the  New  World.  Tt  is  a  work  of  the 
highest  rarity:  there  is  not  a  copy  known  to  exist  in  Eng- 
land. The  one  which  I  have  made  use  of  belongs  to  John 
Carter  Brown,  Esq.,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  in 
America,  who  kindly  sent  it  over  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Henry 
Stevens,  in  order  that  I  might  be  permitted  to  consult  it." 

Mr.  Richard  Henry  Major,  in  his  "Life  of  Prince 
Henry  of  Portugal,  surnamed  the  Navigator,"  says, — 
44  Galvao's  'Treatise  on  the  Discoveries  of  the  World,' writ- 
ten about  the  year  1555,  ....  had  become  so 
extremely  scarce  in  the  course  of  half  a  century  that 
Hakluyt,  who  possessed  an  anonymous  translation  of  it 
made  by  some  'honest  English  merchant,'  strove  for  twelve 
years  to  find  a  copy  of  the  original,  sending  to  Lisbon  for 
it,  but  in  vain."  Mr.  Major  adds  in  a  foot-note,  — 44  What 
Hakluyt  failed  to  do  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  succeed  in 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Society  which  bears  his  name.  Mr. 
John  Carter  Brown  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  lent  me  a 
copy  which  was  edited  for  the  Hakluyt  Society  in  1862  by 
Admiral  Drinkwater  Bethune." 

The  catalogue  of  the  Brown  Library  is  in  such 
demand  in  Europe,  on  account  of  its  wealth  of  material 
relating  to  America,  that  two  volumes  of  it,  a  mere  frag- 
ment, brought  twenty-six  pounds  at  the  Sobolewski  sale  at 
Lei p sic  a  few  years  ago. 


THE  BBOWN  LIB  BABY. 


71 


The  library  room  in  the  Brown  mansion,  having  been 
built  expressly  for  the  purpose,  is  practically  fire-proof. 
Most  of  the  light  comes  from  above,  for  a  single  door  and 
two  windows  alone  break  the  walls,  which  are  lined  with 
heavily  laden  book  shelves.  Turkish  rugs  are  spread  upon 
the  tessellated  floor,  and  four  or  five  marble  busts  and 
figures  upon  pedestals  lend  elegance  to  the  literary  appear- 
ance of  the  room.  All  of  the  books  are  exposed  to  an 
unobstructed  view,  save  those  in  a  single  case  which  are 
covered  with  glass. 

America  is  the  specialty  of  this  collection;  and  so 
numerous  are  the  works  relating  to  it,  that  those  published 
since  the  year  1800,  being  easily  attainable,  have  for  the 
most  part  been  excluded  from  the  library.  No  portion  of 
the  Western  Hemisphere  has  been  overlooked  or  neglected. 
Both  its  continents  and  all  its  islands,  whether  they  be 
lands  of  tropical  sun,  or  lands  of  polar  snow,  have  here 
their  historical  records.  Maps,  geographies,  and  cosmolo- 
gies, chronicles,  narratives,  and  histories,  letters,  memoirs, 
and  biographies,  grammars,  vocabularies,  and  dictionaries  — 
an  immense  mass  of  literature  illustrating  the  discovery  and 
development  of  the  new  world — have  here  been  garnered 
up  with  a  lavish  hand  regardless  alike  of  trouble  and 
expense. 

Delineations  of  the  earth's  surface,  prior  to  the  dis- 


72 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


covery  of  the  new  world,  furnish  a  fitting  preface,  so  to 
speak,  to  the  history  of  America.  In  this  library,  accord- 
ingly, we  find  many  editions  of  the  geography  of  Ptolemy, 
who  lived  in  the  second  century,  and  whose  work  with 
commentaries,  additions,  and  supplements,  illustrating  the 
growth  of  discovery,  continued  to  be  the  chief  geographical 
authority  down  to  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Of 
this  famous  work  we  find  here  nineteen  editions,  all  printed 
between  1475  and  1599,  together  with  a  facsimile  of  an 
original  Greek  mauuscript  of  the  twelfth  century,  with 
maps.  A  copy  in  Latin,  printed  at  Ulm  in  1482,  is  spe- 
cially interesting ;  though  issued  ten  years  before  the  dis- 
covery of  America,  yet,  upon  one  of  its  numerous  maps, 
Greenland  is  represented  under  the  name  of  Engroneland, 
and  is  laid  down  as  a  peninsula  of  Europe. 

Seventeen  editions  of  the  cosmography  of  Peter 
Apianus  are  to  be  found  in  this  collection ;  likewise  the 
geographies  of  Schoner,  Pomponius  Mela,  Euciso,  Mun- 
ster,  Ortelius,  and  many  others,  in  numerous  editions  and  in 
various  languages.  In  this  department  is  the  Imago  Mundi 
of  Pierre  dAilly,  Archbishop  of  Cambray,  a  quarto  printed 
in  1483,  the  study  of  which,  it  is  believed,  did  much  to 
form  the  judgment  of  Columbus  as  to  the  feasibility  of 
those  voyages  across  an  unexplored  ocean,  which  revealed  a 
new  world  to  the  astonished  vision  of  the  old. 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


73 


Notwithstanding  the  brilliant  explorations  of  Americus 
Vespucius  the  application  of  his  name,  instead  of  that  of 
Columbus,  to  the  continents  of  the  Western  Hemisphere, 
seems  like  a  usurpation.  Be  this  as  it  may,  Vespucius 
himself  is  in  no  wise  responsible  for  it,  as  reference  to  a 
few  works  in  this  library  will  clearly  prove ;  such,  for 
example,  as  the  Cosmographice  Introductio  of  Waldsee-Muller, 
printed  at  St.  Die  in  1507,  of  which  there  are  two  editions 
issued  respectively  in  May  and  September  of  that  year ; 
John  de  Stobnicza's  Introduction  to  Ptolemy's  Cosmography 
published  in  1512  ;  and  Camers'  folio  edition  of  the  Polyhis- 
toria  of  Julius  Solinus,  issued  at  Vienna  in  1520.* 


*  Waldsee-Muller  is  better  known  under 
his  Latin-Greek  pseudonym  of  Hylacomy- 
lus,  and  the  title  of  his  interesting  volume, 
rendered  into  English,  is  "  Introduction  to 
Cosmography,  together  with  some  princi- 
ples of  Geometry  and  Astronomy  neces- 
sary to  the  purpose.  Also  four  voyages  of 
Americus  Vespucius.  A  description  of 
Universal  Cosmography,  together  with 
what  was  unknown  to  Ptolemy."  "  Not 
only,"  says  Mr.  Major  in  referring  to 
Waldsee-Muller's  work,  '*  was  it  from  that 
publication  that  the  world  was,  for  the 
first  time,  made  aware  of  four  voyages 
made  to  America  by  Vespucci,  and  one  of 
them  involving  absolute  priority  in  the 
discovery  of  the  continent  of  America, 
but  in  the  text  which  preceded  the  narra- 
tive of  those  voyages,  the  name  of  Amer- 
ica  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  suggested 


for  the  newly  discovered  western  world." 
Translations  of  the  passages  in  Waldsee- 
Muller's  work  containing  the  suggestion, 
areas  follows :— "  And  the  fourth  part  of 
the  world  having  been  discovered  by 
Americus,  may  well  be  called  Amerige, 
which  is  as  much  as  to  say,  the  land  of 
Americus  or  America.  And  again  a  few 
pages  later—"  But  now  these  pai'ts  are 
more  extensively  explored,  and,  as  will  be 
seen  in  the  following  letters,  another 
fourth  part  has  been  discovered  by  Amer- 
icus Vespucius,  which  I  see  no  just  rea- 
son why  anyone  should  forbid  to  be 
named  Amerige,  which  is  as  much  as  to 
say,  the  land  of  Americus  or  America, 
from  its  discoverer  Americus,  who  is  a 
man  of  shrewd  intellect;  for  Europe  and 
Asia  have  both  of  them  taken  a  feminine 
form  of  name  from  the  names  of  women." 


74 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


Of  the  sixty-five  hundred  titles,  and  upwards,  embraced 
in  ten  thousand,  or  more,  volumes  in  this  collection,  it  is  a 
matter  of  no  small  difficulty  to  determine  which  to  cull  out 
as  examples,  for  this  is  one  of  the  five  libraries  referred  to 
by  Mr.  Henry  Harrisse  in  the  following  sentence :— "  The 
number  of  rare  and  valuable  works  which  are  scattered  in 
several  American  libraries  is  considerable,  but  we  possess 
five  collections  exclusively  devoted  to  America,  which,  as  far 
as  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  surpass  all  libraries  of 
the  kind  in  Europe."* 


At  the  college  of  St.  Die,  then,  in  Lorraine, 
where  Waldsee-MUller  was  a  professor, 
and  not  with  Vespucius,  originated  the 
idea  of  calling  the  new  world,  America. 

In  1509  the  name  of  America,  thus  pro- 
posed two  years  before,  appears  to  have 
been  accepted  as  a  well  known  denomina- 
tion in  an  anonymous  work  entitled  Glo- 
bus Mundi,  printed  at  Strasburg.  This  was 
three  years  before  the  death  of  Vespucius. 
John  de  Stobnicza,  a  Polish  geographer, 
published  in  1512  at  Cracow,  his  commen- 
tary on  Ptolemy's  work;  and  two  large 
maps  in  it  represent  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern hemispheres.  That  of  the  western 
hemisphere,  owing  to  the  imperfect 
knowledge  of  the  period,  is  very  meagre, 
and  the  continent  is  without  a  name,  for  as 
yet  it  had  not  been  definitely  determined 
what  it  should  be  called.  The  eastern 
coast  line  is  delineated;  but  straight  lines 
running  north  and  north-west  alone  mark 
the  inland  regions,  and  the  western  coast: 
this  linear  uncertainty,  together  with  the 


words,  Terra  Incognita,  indicate  the  incom- 
pleteness of  the  discoveries  in  that  direc- 
tion. Though  the  geographer  applies  no 
name  to  the  new  world,  yet  in  referring  to 
the  subject  he  says,  "  they  now  propose  to 
call  this  newly  discovered  country,  the 
land  of  Amerigo."  In  1520  Camers'  folio 
edition  of  the  Polyhistoria  of  Julius  Soli- 
nus  was  issued  at  Vienna,  and  the  map  in 
it  is  the  first  engraved  map  yet  known 
bearing  the  name  of  America.  Thus  in 
thirteen  years  the  suggestion  from  St.  Die 
obtained  a  foothold  in  literature,  and  thus 
the  new  world  was  named.  Mr.  Richard 
Henry  Major,  in  "  The  Life  of  Prince 
Henry  of  Portugal,  surnamed  the  Naviga- 
tor," gives  an  interesting  account  of  this 
remarkable  event  in  the  history  of  our 
continent. 

*"  These  are,"  continues  Mr.  Harrisse, 
"  the  collections  of  Messrs.  J.  Carter 
Brown,  in  Providence,  Samuel  L.  M.  Bar- 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BAR  Y. 


75 


Among  the  choicest  gems  of  Americana  in  existence, 
are  the  original  editions  of  Columbus'  letter  to  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,  giving  the  particulars  of  his  first  voyage,  and 
printed  at  Rome  and  Paris  in  1493,  immediately  after  his 
return.  Of  the  seven  editions  of  this  precious  little  tract 
issued  in  that  year,  all  are  in  the  Brown  collection,  four  of 
which  are  originals,  and  three  are  in  facsimile.  One  of  the 
former,  printed  at  Paris,  is  believed  to  be  the  only  copy 
extant.  There  is  much  more  relating  to  Columbus,* — 
books  with  all  sorts  of  names,  and  with  all  manner  of  allu- 
sions,—  but  we  should  hardly  have  expected  to  find  his  life 
in  a  Psalter.  Giustiniani,  however,  published  an  edition  of 
King  David's  Psalter,  in  1516,  in  the  Hebrew,  Greek, 
Arabic,  Chaldean,  and  Latin  languages,  and  he  inserted  a 
biography  of  the  bold  navigator  on  the  margin  of  Psalm 
XIX.,  beginning  opposite  these  verses: — 

1.  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament  sheweth 
his  handyvvork. 

2.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  sheweth 
knowledge. 


low,  in  New  York  city,  Peter  Force,  in 
Washington,  Henry  C.  Murphy,  at  Owl's 
Head,  Long  Island,  and  James  Lenox,  in 
New  York  city ."—Bibliotheca  Americana 
Vetustissima.    Introduction,  p.  xxx.  Note. 

*  The  hook-lover  may  be  interested  in  an 
extract  from  a  foot-note  in  the  third  vol- 


ume of  Prescott's  Ferdinand  and  Isabella, 
relating  to  the  sons  of  Christopher  Colum- 
bus. In  referring  to  one  of  them,  Fer- 
nando, the  historian  says :— "  He  was  a 
person  of  rather  uncommon  literary 
attainments,  and  amassed  a  library,  in  his 
extensive  travels,  of  20,000  volumes,  per- 
haps the  largest  private  collection  in 
Europe  at  that  day." 


76 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


3.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language,  where  their  voice  is  not  heard. 

4.  Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to 
the  end  of  the  world. 

The  biography  was  thus  inserted,  because  Columbus  had 
proclaimed  that  he  had  been  chosen  by  God  to  exemplify 
the  thought  or  prophecy  expressed  in  the  fourth  verse  of 
that  Psalm. 

The  claims  by  which  some  other  volumes  are  classed 
among  works  relating  to  America,  and  hence  entitled  to  a 
place  on  the  shelves  of  a  library  such  as  this,  are  certainly 
very  slender.  Here  are  half  a  dozen  editions  of  Brant's 
Stultifera  Navis  issued  prior  to  1585,  the  earliest  being  one 
in  Latin  printed  by  Olpe,  at  Basle,  in  1497.  The  English 
title  of  this  curious  book  is,  "  The  Ship  of  Fooles,  wherein 
is  shewed  the  folly  of  all  States,  with  diuers  other  workes 
adioyned  unto  the  same,  very  profitable  and  fruitfull  for  all 
men."  It  was  first  printed  in  Latin  in  1494,  and  the  refer- 
ences to  the  "new-found  world"  the  year  after  the  return 
of  Columbus,  are  among  the  earliest  known.* 


*This  quaint  production  is  in  verse,  and 
the  only  allusion  to  the  new  world  that  we 
have  been  able  to  find  in  Barclay's  trans- 
lation of  it,  is  contained  in  a  few  lines 
taken  from  the  division  entitled,  "Of  the 
folysshe  desci-ipcion  and  inquisicion  of 
dyuers  contrees  and  regyons."  They  are 
as  follows:— 


"  For  nowe  of  late  hath  large  londe  and 
grounde 

"  Ben  founde  by  maryners  and  crafty  gou- 
ernours 

"Thewhiche  londes  were  neuer  knowen 

nor  founde 
"  Byfore  our  tyme  by  our  predecessours 
"  And  here  after  shall  by  our  successours 


THE  BE  OWN  LIB  BABY. 


77 


Of  Sir  Thomas  More's  Utopia  there  are  several  edi- 
tions, in  various  languages,  dating  between  1516  and  1556; 
the  most  interesting  to  us  being  the  first  English  edition, 
"Imprinted  at  London  by  Abraham  Vele,  dwelling  in  Pauls 
churchyarde  at  the  sygne  of  the  Lambe.  Anno,  1551." 
This  book  is  embraced  among  works  relating  to  America 
because  the  narrator  of  the  story  of  the  happy  republic 
purports  to  have  been  one  of  the  company  of  Vespucius 
who  was,  by  the  latter,  left  upon  the  imaginary  island  of 
Utopia  near  the  continent  of  South  America. 

The  voyages  of  Americus  Vespucius  revealed  to  a 
wondering  world,  however,  something  more  substantial  than 
a  shadowy  island  containing  an  Utopian  republic ;  and  we 
will  therefore  pass  on  to  works  relating  to  his  discoveries, 
more  fitting  the  place  they  occupy,  than  mere  books  of  rude 
verse  or  highly  wrought  fiction.  The  Brown  library  is  rich 
in  accounts  of  the  voyages  of  Americus  Vespucius.  The 
earliest  bearing  the  simple  title  of  Mundus  Novus,  was 
printed  in  1504.     The  accounts  of  his  voyages  were  not 

"  Parchaunce  mo  be  founde,  wlierin  men  "Of  whome  the  bydynge  to  vs  was  vncer- 

dwell  tayne 

"Of  whome  we  neuer  before  this  same  "No  christen  man  of  them  harde  tell 

harde  tell  before 

"  Thus  is  it  foly  to  tende  vnto  the  lore 

"Ferdynandus  that  late  was  kynge  of  "Andvnsure  science  of  vayne  geometry 

spayne  "  Syns  none  can  knowe  all  the  worlde  per- 

"  Of  londe  and  people  bath  founde  plenty  fytely" 

and  store 

10 


78 


THE  BBOWN  LIBRARY. 


written  by  himself,  and  only  those  of  the  second  and  third 
voyages  were  printed  separately  within  the  first  eight  years 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  Of  these,  there  are  eight  edi- 
tions, in  this  library — five  in  Latin,  two  in  German,  and 
one  in  Dutch,  and  no  other  copy  of  the  latter  is  known  to 
exist. 

A  small  quarto  volume  here,  entitled  Paesi  nouamente 
retrouati,  etc.,  or,  as  rendered  into  English,  "Countries 
newly  discovered,  and  the  New  World  of  Alberico  Vespu- 
cio,  called  the  Florentine,"  printed  at  Vicenza  in  1507,  is 
doubtless  the  earliest  and  the  most  important  collection  of 
voyages  relating  to  America  in  existence.  The  first  edition, 
being  the  one  above  referred  to,  is  of  great  rarity,  and  that, 
and  several  others  printed  before  1521,  are  represented  in 
this  library.  We  quote  from  the  Brown  Catalogue  a  sen- 
tence or  two  in  regard  to  one  of  these  copies.  Says  Mr. 
Bartlett,  the  compiler, — 44  This  copy  of  the  Low-German  or 
Platte-Dutch  translation  by  Ghetelin  may  be  considered 
unique,  no  other  being  known  ;  nor  is  it  mentioned  by  any 
bibliographer  except  Harrisse,  who,  in  his  4  Bibliotheca 
Americana  Vetus.J  Additions,  No.  29,  describes  this  identical 
copy.  It  was  discovered  by  the  late  Mr.  Sobolewski,  a  dis- 
tinguished Russian  collector,  in  the  interior  of  Russia,  in  a 
library  wholly  Russian.  Its  present  possessor  obtained  it  at 
the  sale  of  the  Sobolewski  library,  which  took  place  at 
Leipzig  in  July,  1873." 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY.  79 

Other  volumes  of  great  rarity  in  this  library  are  some 
of  the  editions  of  Ludovico  de  Varthema's  Itinerario.  Of 
the  first  edition  of  this  work,  a  quarto  printed  at  Rome  in 
1510,  only  the  Brown  copy  and  one  in  the  Grenville  Library 
are  known.  Some  of  the  subsequent  editions  contain  Joan 
de  Grijalva's  Itinerary  of  Yucatan,  the  earliest  accounts  we 
have  of  that  country.  Copies  of  the  edition  printed  at 
Venice  in  1520,  in  12mo,  are  so  rare  that  some  bibliogra- 
phers have  doubted  if  any  were  in  existence.  Notwith- 
standing these  doubts,  however,  one  is  to  be  found  in  the 
Brown  library,  and  likewise  copies  of  various  other  dates  in 
half  a  dozen  different  languages. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  inquire  of  what 
possible  advantage  it  can  be  to  have  so  many  translations 
and  editions  of  the  same  work,  we  will  insert  a  few  senten- 
ces from  Stevens'  Bibliotheca  Historica.  "  Some  folks,"  he 
says,  "  affect  to  despise  translations,  and  divers  editions.  It 
is  not  so  with  the  true  historian  and  experienced  researcher. 
A  good  translation  is  itself  occasionally  a  useful  comment 
on  the  original  work,  and  moreover,  the  translator  being 
often  better  up  in  the  subject  treated  than  the  author  him- 
self, sometimes  corrects  many  errors,  and  makes  valuable 
additions.  .  .  .  The  superiority  of  many  Dutch  editions 
over  the  original  works  is  proverbial.  The  plates  and  maps 
are  almost  always  far  superior,  and  the  translator  is  gener- 


80 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


ally  an  expert.  The  French,  English,  German,  Spanish, 
Swedish,  and  American  books  relating  to  America  trans- 
lated into  Dutch  are  very  numerous,  and  generally,  in  some 
respects,  possess  points  superior  to  the  originals,  inasmuch 
that,  as  far  as  the  department  of  American  history  is  con- 
cerned, all  such  books  should  be  accessible  somewhere  in 
America.  On  the  other  hand,  translations  are  important 
sometimes  from  their  very  badness  or  untrustworthiness, 
and  should  be  preserved  in  our  most  important  libraries  as 
a  means  of  tracing  to  their  true  source  misstatements  and 
falsehoods." 

Peter  Martyr  of  Anghiera,  "  a  soldier,  a  schoolmaster, 
an  ambassador,  a  statesman,  a  priest,  an  historian,  and  a 
gossiping  man  of  letters,"  was,  in  his  day,  one  of  the  most 
important  writers  upon  America.  According  to  his  own 
modest  estimate,  "  he  fed  with  his  learning  the  studious 
youth  of  Spain."  Sir  Arthur  Helps,  Prescott,  and  all  who 
have  occasion  to  refer  to  him,  speak  of  him  always  in  the 
highest  terms.  All  his  works  in  Latin,  French,  and  English, 
are  in  this  collection.  The  earliest  is  the  Legatio  Babylon - 
ica,  in  folio,  printed  at  Madrid  in  1511  ;  and  the  most 
important  are  the  Opus  Epistolarum,  printed  in  .1530,  and 
the  Decades  of  the  New  World,  the  first  three  being  pub- 
lished at  Alcala  in  1516,  and  the  entire  eight  under  the 
title  of  Be  Orbe  Novo,  in  1530. 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


81 


Here,  also,  we  find  the  works  of  Oviedo,  another  dis- 
tinguished historian  of  the  new  world,  who  began  life  as  a 
page  to  Prince  Juan,  the  only  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Isa- 
bella, and  who,  in  1513,  was  sent  as  inspector  of  the  gold 
mines  to  America,  where  he  remained  many  years.  So 
many  famous  authors  are  represented  in  this  library,  and  so 
numerous  are  the  different  editions  of  their  works,  that  to 
detail  the  one,  or  to  enumerate  the  other,  would  tax  alike 
the  strength  of  the  writer,  and  the  patience  of  the  reader. 
For  example,  there  are  twenty-nine  editions  here  of  Goma- 
ra's  Hj/storia  general  de  las  Indias,  and  La  conquista  de 
Mexico,  in  four  different  languages  ;  the  earliest  printed  at 
Saragossa  in  1552,  in  folio.  Of  Las  Casas  there  are  no  less 
than  thirty  editions,  including  the  first  edition  of  his  nine 
tracts  printed  at  Seville  in  1552,  besides  two  tracts  in  manu- 
script. Some  of  the  accounts  of  Spanish  atrocities  fur- 
nished by  Las  Casas,  who  was  Bishop  of  Chiapa,  and  the 
great  Apostle  of  the  Indians,  appear  to  be  almost  incredi- 
ble. The  Spanish  character  seems  to  possess  a  susceptibil- 
ity to  cruelty  quite  unparalleled  in  any  other  civilized 
nation.  The  love  of  bull-fighting,  the  establishment  of  the 
Inquisition,  the  expulsion  of  the  Jews  under  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  the  reign  of  terror  in  the  Low  Countries  under 
Philip  II.,  all  seem  to  point  to  the  existence  of  this  trait  of 
Spanish  character.     Las  Casas  utterly  sinks  these  other 


82 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


horrors  into  insignificance,  in  depicting  the  greater  ones 
perpetrated  by  his  countrymen  upon  the  aborigines  of  the 
new  world,  even  after  all  due  allowance  for  exaggeration. 
"  We  dare  assert,"  he  says,  44  without  fear  of  incurring  the 
reproach  of  exaggerating,  that  in  the  space  of  those  forty 
years  in  which  the  Spaniards  exercised  their  intolerable 
tyranny  in  this  new  world,  they  unjustly  put  to  death  above 
twelve  millions  of  people,  counting  men,  women,  and 
children ;  and  it  may  be  affirmed  without  injury  to  truth, 
upon  a  just  calculation,  that  during  this  space  of  time, 
above  fifty  millions  have  died  in  these  countries.'1* 


*As  illustrations  of  the  terrible  atroci- 
ties practised  upon  the  natives,  two  ex- 
tracts from  one  of  Las  Casas'  works  in  the 
author's  own  library,  are  inserted.  Jts 
suggestive  title  given  in  full  is  as  follows : 
— "  An  Account  of  the  First  Voyages  and 
Discoveries  made  by  the  Spaniards  in 
America.  Containing  The  most  Exact  Re- 
lation hitherto  published,  of  their  unpar- 
alleled Cruelties  on  the  Indians,  in  the  de- 
struction of  above  Forty  Millions  of  Peo- 
ple. With  the  Propositions  offer'd  to  the 
King  of  Spain,  to  prevent  the  further  Ruin 
of  the  West  Indies.  By  Don  Bartholomew  de 
las  Casas,  Bishop  of  Chiapa,  who  was  an 
Eye-Witness  of  their  Cruelties.  Illustrated 
with  Cuts.  To  which  is  added,  The  Art  of 
Travelling,  shewing  how  a  man  may  dis- 
pose his  Travels  to  the  best  advantage." 
London,  1699.  The  following  is  from  pages 
7,  8,  and  9  of  this  book:— "The  Spaniards, 
who  were  mounted  on  fine  Horses,  and 


armed  with  Lances  and  Swords,  look'd 
upon  Enemies  so  meanly  equip'd  with  the 
greatest  Contempt,  and  committed  the 
most  horrible  Slaughters  with  Impunity. 
They  pass'd  through  the  several  Cities  and 
Towns,  spai'ing  neither  Age  nor  Sex,  but 
kill'd  Women  and  Children  as  well  as  Men  : 
They  rip'd  up  Women  with  Child,  that 
Root  and  Branch  might  be  destroy'd  to- 
gether. They  laid  Wagers  one  with  anoth- 
er, who  should  cleave  a  Man  down  with 
his  Sword  most  dexterously  at  one  blow; 
or  who  should  take  his  Head  from  his 
Shoulders  most  cleverly;  or  who  should 
run  a  Man  through  after  the  most  artificial 
manner :  They  tore  away  Children  out  of 
their  Mothers  Arms,  and  dash'd  out  their 
Brains  against  the  Rocks;  others  they 
threw  into  the  River,  diverting  themselves 
with  this  brutish  Sport,  and  giving  great 
shouts  while  they  saw  'em  in  this  misery: 
And  to  add  insulting  Scoffs  to  their  Cru- 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


83 


The  chapter  of  history  opened  by  the  discovery  of 
America,  is  characterized  by  such  boldness  in  exploration, 
such  recklessness  of  daring,  and  such  success  in  achieve- 
ment, that  it  seems  like  a  brilliant  romance.  When  recall- 
ing the  exploits  of  the  cluster  of  Spanish  adventurers,  or 
those  acting  under  Spanish  influences,  that  gathered  round 
the  early  years  of  the  new  world — Christopher  Columbus, 


elty,  advis'd  'em  to  struggle  in  the  Water, 
and  try  if  they  could  save  themselves  from 
drowning.  They  held  up  the  Bodies  of 
Mothers  and  Children  together  upon  their 
Lances :  they  set  up  Gibbets,  and  hang'd  up 
thirteen  of  these  poor  Creatures  in  honour 
to  Jesus  Christ  and  his  twelve  Apostles 
(as  they  blasphemously  express'd  them- 
selves) :  They  kindled  a  great  Fire  under 
these  Gibbets,  to  burn  those  they  had 
hang'd  upon  'em :  They  cut  off  the  Hands 
of  those  they  sav'd  alive,  and  sent  'em 
away  in  that  miserable  condition,  bidding 
'em  carry  the  News  of  their  Calamities  to 
those  that  were  retir'd  into  the  Mountains 
to  escape  the  Spaniards. 

They  erected  a  small  Scaffold,  support- 
ed with  Forks  and  Poles,  upon  which  to 
execute  their  Chiefs,  and  those  of  the  most 
considerable  quality  among  'em.  When 
they  had  laid  'em  at  length  upon  this  Scaf- 
fold, they  kindled  a  gentle  Fire,  to  make 
'em  feel  themselves  die  gradually,  till  the 
poor  Wretches  after  the  most  exquisite 
Pain  and  Anguish,  attended  with  horrible 
Screeches  and  Outcries,  at  length  expir'd. 
I  one  day  saw  four  or  five  Persons  of  the 
highest  Rank  in  this  Island  burn'd  after 


this  manner.  But  the  dreadful  Cries  this 
Torment  extorted  from  'em,  incommoding 
a  Spanish  Captain,  and  hindring  his  Sleep, 
he  commanded  'em  to  be  presently  stran- 
gled. But  a  certain  Officer  whose  Name  1 
know,  and  whose  Relations  are  well  known 
at  Seville,  put  Gags  into  their  Mouths  to 
hinder  'em  from  making  a  Noise,  that  he 
might  not  be  depriv'd  of  the  brutish 
Pleasure  of  broiling  them  gently,  till  they 
breath'd  out  their  Souls  in  this  Torment. 
I  have  been  an  Eye-witness  of  all  these 
Cruelties,  and  an  infinite  number  of  others 
which  I  pass  over  in  silence." 

The  second  extract  is  from  page  55,  and  - 
is  as  follows :— "  Some  of  the  Spaniards 
have  been  so  inhuman  as  to  give  Infants 
to  their  Hounds  when  they  were  hungry  : 
they  would  take  these  poor  Babes  by  the 
t  wo  Legs,  and  violently  tear  'em  asunder 
into  two  pieces,  and  then  feed  their  Dogs 
with  'em.  They  were  left  of  God  to  such  a 
reprobate  mind,  that  they  made  no  more 
account  of  human  Creatures,  that  were 
ransom'd  by  the  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ, 
than  of  Beasts."  The  character  of  the  cuts 
illustrating  such  a  text  can  easily  be 
imagined. 


84 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


the  brothers  Pinzon,  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  Juan  Ponce  de 
Leon,  Hernando  de  Soto,  Fernando  Cortes,  Francis  Pizarro, 
and  a  long  roll  of  others, — one  feels  like  agreeing  with 
Peter  Martyr,  where  he  says  in  his  third  Decade,  as  trans- 
lated by  Lok, — 44 To  declare  my  opinion  herein,  whatsoever 
hath  heretofore  been  discovered  by  the  famous  travayles  of 
Saturnus  and  Hercules,  with  such  others  whom  the  antiqui- 
tie  for  their  heroical  acts  honoured  as  Gods,  seemeth  but 
little  and  obscure  if  it  be  compared  to  the  victorious  labours 
of  the  Spanyards."  In  treating  of  the  adventurers,  who, 
after  Columbus,  wrote  narratives  of  their  discoveries  and 
settlements,  Mr.  Ticknor  says,  "in  the  foreground  of  this 
picturesque  group  stands  as  the  most  brilliant  of  its  figures, 
Fernando  Cortes."  The  letters  or  Relations  of  Cortes  to 
the  Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  are  well  represented  in  this 
collection,  from  the  first  one  printed  at  Seville  in  1522,  to 
the  Fourth  Relation  of  1526,  all  in  folio,  and  in  several 
different  languages.* 

The  historians  Benzoni,  Cieca  de  Leon,  Lery,  Zarate, 
Herrera,  Acosta,  Garcilasso  de  la  Vega,  Solis,  Bernal  Diaz, 


*In  speaking  of  Cortes'  Relations  Mr. 
Ticknor,  in  the  first  volume  of  his  History 
Spanish  Literature,  says:  — Of  his 
works,  "the  most  remarkable  were,  no 
doubt,  five  long  and  detailed  reports  to 
the  Emperor  on  the  affairs  of  Mexico;  the 
first  of  which,  and  probably  the  most  curi- 
ous, dated  in  1519,  seems  to  be  lost,  and  the 


last,  belonging,  probably,  to  1527,  exists 
only  in  manuscript.  The  four  that  remain 
are  well  written  and  have  a  business-like 
air  about  them,  as  well  as  a  clearness  and 
good  taste,"  &c.  When,  therefore,  we 
speak  of  the  first  Relation  in  the  text,  we 
mean,  of  course,  the  first  one  printed, 
which  is  the  second  one  written  by  Cortes. 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


85 


De  Laet,  and  many  others,  are  likewise  well  represented 
here  in  various  languages  and  in  numerous  editions. 

The  department  of  voyages  and  travels  in  the  Brown 
library,  is  very  full.  There  are,  of  course,  many  books 
relating  to  a  single  navigator,  and  then  too  there  are 
numerous  collections  of  voyages :  among  them  those  of 
Ablyn,  Gryneeus,  Eamusio,  Linschoten,  Gottfriedt,  Hart- 
gers,  Commelyn,  Hakluyt,  Purchas,  Vander  Aa,  Huisius, 
and  De  Bry.  The  great  importance  of  some  of  these 
require  more  special  attention  than  the  bare  mention  of 
their  names. 

"All  hail  to  thee,  Richard  Hakluyt!"  exclaims  the 
enthusiastic  Dibdin,  "for  thou  wert  a  genius  of  no  ordinary 
complexion."  There  are,  in  this  library,  all  the  books 
written,  translated,  or  edited  by  this  famous  annalist, 
including  his  first  work,  entitled  "Divers  voyages  touch- 
ing the  discovery  of  America,"  London,  1582,  in  quarto, 
with  the  rare  maps ;  and  his  most  important  work,  entitled 
"Principal  Navigations,  Voyages  and  Discoveries,"  &c,  the 
editions  of  1589,  and  1598—1600,  in  folio. 

The  acquisition  of  complete  sets  of  three  works  has, 
thus  far,  remained  an  object  of  ungratifled  ambition  to  the 
collectors  of  books  on  America.  These  elusive  works  are 
the  collections  of  voyages  by  De  Bry,  and  by  Huisius,  and 
the  Jesuit  Relations.  De  Bry  is  the  most  extensive,  the 
n 


86  THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 

most  elaborate  in  illustration,  and  the  most  costly  of  the 
three.  Copies  of  it  bring  great  prices,  and,  in  some 
instances,  thousands  of  dollars  have  been  expended  in  per- 
fecting sets.  The  English  part  alone,  Hariot's  Virginia, 
was  sold  at  auction,  in  Boston,  by  Leonard  &  Co.,  in  1870, 
for  nine  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.*  Mr.  James 
Lenox  of  New  York,  a  most  determined  De  Bry  collector, 
paid  twelve  thousand  francs,  in  1855,  for  the  Rothelin 
copy,  with  two  volumes  of  duplicate  plates,  and  some  con- 
tinuations added.  A  very  fine  copy  in  fifty-five  volumes, 
containing  the  several  versions  except  the  English,  was  sold 
at  the  Sobolewski  sale,  in  1873,  for  five  thousand  and  fifty 
thalers,  to  Mr.  F.  Muller,  the  book-seller  of  Amsterdam, 
from  whom  it  was  subsequently  purchased  by  Mr.  Lenox, 
doubtless  at  an  enhanced  price.  "The  collected  voyages  of 
Levinus  Hulse  or  Hulsius,"  says  Harrisse,  "may  be  consid- 
ered an  imitation  of  that  of  De  Bry,  although  it  is  superior 
to  this  highly-prized  collection  in  many  respects,  and,  what 


*We  extract  the  following  from  a  note 
in  one  of  Messrs.  J.  Sabin  &  Sons'  Cata- 
logues issued  a  few  years  ago,  in  regard 
to  Hariot's  Virginia  in  De  Bry's  Collec- 
tion:—"The  rarest  and  most  precious 
book  relating  to  Virginia,  and  of  which 
there  are  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  per- 
fect copies  in  existence.  These  are  in  the 
British  Museum  and  Bodleian  Libraries, 
and  in  the  private  collections  of  Mr. 
Lenox,  Mr.  Brown,  Mr.  Christie-Miller,  and 


Mr.  George  E.  Mann.  There  is  a  very  im- 
perfect one  in  the  library  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, and  one  wanting  two  leaves  in  the 
library  of  the  late  Sir  Thomas  Phillipps. 
No  complete  copy  in  England  is  known  to 
have  been  sold  for  less  than  £100  for  the 
past  hundred  years,  and,  we  understand, 
one  has  recently  changed  hands  at  double 
that  sum,  and  probably  will  again  if  the 
opportunity  occurs.  The  only  copy  sold 
in  this  country  brought  $975." 


THE  Bit  OWN  LIB  BABY.  87 

is  of  greater  importance  to  collectors,  much  more  difficult 
to  complete."  "The  latter,"  or  Jesuit  Relations,  to  quote 
once  more  from  the  same  high  authority  when  speaking  of 
these  three  great  bibliographical  treasures,  "are  certainly 
the  most  valuable,  if  not  the  most  inviting  to  the  eye,  and 
deserve  the  solicitude  of  collectors,  inasmuch  as  there  is  not 
a  perfect  set  to  be  found  anywhere."  # 

De  Bry's  Voyages  t  consist  of  twenty-five  parts 
arranged  in  two  series,  the  Great  Voyages  {Grands  Voy- 
ages), and  the  Small  Voyages  (Petits  Voyages) ;  so  called 
because  the  one  is  about  two  inches  taller  and  a  little  wider 
in  size  than  the  other.  In  the  Latin  edition  of  the  Great 
Voyages  there  are  thirteen  parts:  in  the  German,  fourteen  : 
of  the  Small  Voyages  there  are  only  twelve  parts.  The 
Great  Voyages  relate  solely  to  America :  the  Small  Voyages 
to  the  East  Indies  and  Africa.     This  famous  collection 


♦The  difficulty  in  perfecting  copies  of 
Hulsius  and  De  Bry,  is  of  a  very  different 
character  from  that  in  completing  a  set  of 
the  Jesuit  Relations.  Of  some  of  the  an- 
nual parts  of  the  Jesuit  Relations  there  is 
no  copy  known  to  exist,  and  hence  these 
gaps  cannot  he  filled  at  any  price.  In 
regard  to  Hulsius  and  De  Bry,  however, 
the  text  and  the  plates  are  in  existence 
and  can  he  obtained,  but  the  different  edi- 
tions and  reprints  have  created  so  many 
slight  alterations,  in  some  instances  per- 
haps only  in  a  word  — mere  bibliographi- 


cal differences  —  that  the  difficulty  lies  in 
securing  all  these  variations. 

jThe  title  generally  given  in  catalogues 
to  this  celebrated  collection  of  voyages  is 
as  follows :  —  Collectiones  Peregrina- 
tionum  in  Indiana  Orientalem  et  Indiam 
Occidentalem,  XXV  partibus  comprehen- 
sae  a  Theodoro,  Joan-Theodoro  De  Bry,  et  a 
Matheo  Merian  publicatge.  Francofurti 

AD  MCENUM.  1590-1634. 

Folio.   25  parts. 


88 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


originated  in  1590,  with  Theodor  or  Theodoric  De  Bry, 
an  engraver,  a  print-seller,  and  a  publisher  at  Frankfort-on- 
the-Main,  for  in  that  year  the  first  part  was  issued,  the  text 
being  printed  in  Latin,  German,  French  and  English,  but 
the  plates  were  the  same  in  each.  This  part  is  a  transla- 
tion or  reprint  of  Hariot's  Virginia,  which  had  been  pub- 
lished in  London  two  years  before.  All  subsequent  parts 
were  printed  only  in  Latin  and  German,  as  the  demand  for 
the  French  and  English  versions  did  not  warrant  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  series  in  those  languages.  For  forty-four 
years  the  originator  and  his  descendants  prosecuted  their 
work  with  great  success,  for  parts  of  this  splendid  publica- 
tion, as  well  as  that  of  Hulsius,  were  so  frequently  altered 
and  reprinted  that  a  perfect  collection  of  either  is  almost  an 
impossibility,  showing  that  the  demand  for  works  of  this 
description  had  already  reached  certain  spheres  where 
beauty  in  the  execution  was  deemed  paramount  to  truth  or 
reliability.  The  opinions  of  bibliographers  as  to  the  merits 
of  De  Bry's  work  differ  widely.  "This  collection  it  may  be 
well  to  state,"  says  Brunet,  "has  not  that  importance  for 
geographical  science  which  it  has  acquired  as  a  biblio- 
graphical curiosity,  because  it  is  uncritical ;  it  contains  very 
few  relations  which  had  not  been  already  published  sepa- 
rately ;  and  the  reprints  or  translations  which  are  given  of 
the  others  are  worth  infinitely  less  than  the  original  texts." 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


89 


On  the  other  hand  the  compilers  of  the  "Bibliotheca  Gren- 
villiana"  have  formed  a  higher  estimate;  an  opinion  in 
which  several  other  bibliographical  authorities  concur. 
The  De  Bry  in  the  Brown  library  is  particularly  fine,  and 
embraces  the  especially  rare  English  part.  It  is  uniformly 
bound  in  ninety-seven  volumes  in  full  crushed  morocco  by 
Bedford,  each  part  separately,  and  the  whole  is  without 
stain  or  blemish.  Then  there  are  supplemental  volumes 
and  abridgments,  so  that  this  choice  work  as  contained  here 
may  be  tabulated  thus:  — 

The  various  editions  of  the  Great  Voyages,   in  Latin,  German, 

French,  and  English,  -         -         -         -         -  57  vols. 

Small  Voyages,  various  editions  in  Latin  and  German,  -  35  vols. 

Latin  and  German  Abridgments,  -         -         -         -  5  vols. 

Total,  --------     97  vols. 

Supplemental  volumes  bound  in  white  vellum,  -         -  11  vols. 

Separate  narratives  printed  by  De  Bry  in  4to,  -  3  vols. 

A  duplicate  set  of  the  Small  Voyages,  Latin  Series,  uncut,    12  vols.    26  vols. 

Making  in  all,  -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -123  vols. 

The  Brown  Collection  of  Hulsius  extends  to  twenty-six 
parts,  embraced  between  the  years  1598  and  1650,  and,  in 
its  various  editions,  is  contained  in  fifty-one  quarto  volumes, 
uniformly  bound  by  Bedford  in  crimson  morocco.  The  fact 
that  two  such  costly  and  voluminous  collections  of  voyages 
were  printed  at  the  same  time,  and  most  of  the  volumes 


90 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


in  the  same  city,  speaks  well  for  the  literary  enterprise  of 
Frankfort-on-the-Main  at  that  period. 

The  Jesuit  Relations,  the  third  of  this  rare  biblio- 
graphical trio,  are  the  annual  reports  sent  by  the  Superiors 
in  Canada  to  the  Provincials  at  Paris,  from  1632  to  1672, 
and  contain  interesting  accounts  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries 
among  the  Indians,  as  well  as  trustworthy  details  concern- 
ing the  geography  of  the  country,  the  different  tribes,  their 
customs,  languages  and  traditions.  Of  these  Relations  it  is 
believed  that  no  set  will  be  found  more  nearly  complete 
than  that  in  the  Brown  library. 

The  historian  of  every  nook  and  corner  of  America,  it 
would  seem,  might  draw  from  this  literary  store-house  much 
to  satisfy  his  craving  for  knowledge.  If  one  is  interested 
in  the  West  Indies  and  the  countries  of  the  Spanish  Main, 
he  will  find  here,  in  addition  to  the  early  Spanish  histo- 
rians, nearly  everything  that  has  been  written  from  Feder- 
mann's  Indianische  Historia,  printed  in  1557,  down  to  the 
present  century.  Approaching  the  isthmus  connecting  the 
two  continents,  the  searcher  after  interesting  material  will 
meet  with  twenty  tracts,  printed  in  1699  and  1700,  relating 
to  the  celebrated  Scotch  Settlement  at  Darien,  which 
was  established  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, and  which  came  to  an  untimely  end.  Following 
works  on  countries  extending  northward,  we  notice  more 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


91 


than  twenty  editions  here  in  half  a  dozen  different  lan- 
guages, and  printed  between  1683  and  1742,  of  Father 
Hennepin's  well  known  "  New  Discovery  of  a  vast  country 
in  America  between  New  France  and  New  Mexico." 

A  cluster  of  Captain  John  Smith's  works  greet  us  as 
we  approach  Virginia  and  New  England,  viz.: — his  History 
of  Virginia,  the  folio  editions  of  1624,  1626,  and  1632; 
his  Map  of  Virginia,  1612;  his  Description  of  New 
England,  1616;  his  New  England's  Trials,  1622;  his 
Advertisements  for  Planters,  1631  ;  and  his  Seaman's 
Manual,  1699.  Among  the  other  early  writers  on  New 
England  are  the  works  of  Winthrop,  Bradford,  Morton, 
Hubbard,  Gorges,  Mourt,  all  the  editions  of  Hutchin- 
son, Bishop,  Lechford,  Johnson,  Penhallow,  and  Wood. 
Three  editions  of  Vander  Donck's  New  Netherlands,  De 
Vries,  Miller,  Smith,  all  the  editions  of  Golden,  and  the 
works  of  many  other  writers,  inform  us  about  New  York. 
The  other  colonies  of  what  is  now  the  United  States  are 
equally  well  represented. 

Baron  La  Hontan's  Voyages  in  North  America  in  a 
dozen  editions,  and  in  many  languages,  printed  between  1703 
and  1741,  tell  us  of  the  regions  of  the  great  lakes.  The 
Baron,  we  fear,  contracted  on  his  voyages  the  habit  of 
spinning  yarns  to  the  marines,  or  else  of  listening  to  them, 
so  that  his  character  for  reliability  has  sadly  suffered. 


92 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


Champlain's  voyages,  in  five  editions  from  1604  to 
1632,  help  us  on  toward  Canada  and  New  France.  On 
the  old  French  regime  in  America,  besides  the  famous 
Jesuit  Relations  already  alluded  to,  we  find  many  valuable 
and  interesting  works  in  this  library,  including  Sagard's 
Historie  da  Canada,  Lescarbot's  Nouvelle  France,  and  the 
works  of  Charlevoix,  all  in  first,  as  well  as  in  several  other 
editions. 

Continuing  onward  towards  the  pole  we  count  nearly 
two  hundred  volumes  here  in  the  department  of  Greenland 
and  the  Arctic  Regions.  Among  these  are  Torfseus'  Gron- 
landia  Antiqua,  1706,  and  1715,  and  his  Historia  Vinlandia7, 
1705,  and  1715,  together  with  the  several  works  of  Egede, 
Anderson,  Cranz,  and  Zorgdrager.  Then  too  there  are 
grammars  and  dictionaries  in  the  language  of  Greenland, 
and  various  works  on  the  northern  fisheries. 

In  a  hasty  stride  across  the  two  continents  we  have 
merely  snatched  at  what  came  readily  under  our  eye  ;  but 
one  might  begin  at  Terra  del  Fuego,  and  Patagonia,  and 
come  north  till  the  breath  of  the  North  Pole  debarred  man's 
further  progress,  stretching  out  in  his  travels  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coasts  and  the  islands  adjacent  there- 
to, still  he  would  find  in  this  library  something,  aye,  much, 
relating  to  all  the  lands  and  regions  whose  bounds  he  might 
approach. 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


93 


This  library  is,  by  no  means,  entirely  composed  of 
bulky  tomes  and  of  works  in  many  volumes,  for  it  contains 
about  two  thousand  pamphlets  of  the  last  century,  each 
bound  separately,  with  the  date  and  title  on  the  back,  and  all 
chronologically  arranged  on  the  shelves,  so  that  reference  to 
them  is  easy.  Many  of  these  pamphlets  refer  to  the  Revo- 
lutionary War ;  and  as  to  more  extended  works  relating  to 
the  same  period,  space  will  permit  us  to  cull  out  but  very 
few  for  mention.  "  The  Crisis  ;  To  be  continued  weekly 
during  the  present  Bloody  Civil  War  in  America,"  issued  in 
1775  and  1776,  and  complete  in  two  folio  volumes,  is  a 
periodical  of  great  rarity.  When  one  recalls  some  of  the 
experiences  of  our  recent  civil  war,  it  seems  well  nigh 
incredible  that  the  publication  of  this  remarkable  series  of 
papers  attacking  the  Ministry  and  Government  of  Great 
Britain,  was  permitted  in  England's  capital  when  actual  war 
with  her  colonies  was  being  waged.  Here  is  44  The  Remem- 
brancer" in  seventeen  volumes,  uncut;  and  here  too  is  a  work 
similar  to  it,  but  containing  entirely  different  matter,  the 
Affaires  de  T  Angleterre  et  de  V  Amerique,  published  in  1776, 
and  usually  bound  in  seventeen  volumes.  Though  it  bears 
the  name  of  "  Anvers"  in  its  imprint,  yet  it  was  probably 
printed  at  Paris,  and  among  its  editors,  according  to  Bar- 
bier,  were  Franklin,  Count  de  Gebelin,  and  Robinet.  The 
copy  of  Stedman's  History  of  the  American  War  in  this 

12 


94 


THE  BE  OWN  LIB  BABY. 


collection,  belonged  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  contains 
many  of  his  manuscript  notes :  they  were  thought  to  be  of 
such  importance  that  a  portion  of  them  were  printed  at 
London  in  a  quarto  volume. 

Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  the  original  edition 
dated  at  Paris  in  1782,*  is  another  book  here  with  a  valu- 
able manuscript  note.  Upon  one  of  its  fly-leaves  in  the 
author's  own  hand,  is  written  the  following : — "  Th.  Jeffer- 
son having  had  a  few  copies  of  these  Notes  printed  to  offer 
to  some  of  his  friends  and  to  some  other  estimable  charac- 
ters, begs  Dr.  Bancroft's  acceptance  of  a  copy.  Unwilling 
to  expose  them  to  the  public  eye,  he  asks  the  favor  of  Dr. 
Bancroft  to  put  them  into  the  hands  of  no  person  on  whose 
care  and  fidelity  he  cannot  rely  to  guard  them  against  publi- 
cation." The  work  was  afterwards  published,  and  nearly  a 
score  of  editions  of  it  were  issued  prior  to  1850. 

The  earliest  work  in  this  library  printed  in  America  is 
the  Doctrina  Christiana,  which  was  printed  in  Mexico  in 


*  In  describing  the  sale  of  "  Bibliotheca 
Americana,"  that  took  place  in  New  York 
in  February,  1873,  Mr.  J.  Sabin,  in  the 
American  Bibliopolist,  appends  the  fol- 
lowing note  to  Lot  665,  which  is  a  copy  of 
this  very  work.  "  First  edition,  very  rare 
—so  rare,  indeed,  that  we  are  able  to  trace 
the  sale  of  only  one  other  copy.  We  have 
seen  two  others— one  in  the  possession  of 


Mr.  J.  Carter  Brown,  of  Providence;  the 
other  belonged  to  Mr.  E.  B.  McCagg,  of 
Chicago,  and  was  unfortunately  burnt  in 
the  fire  which  almost  destroyed  that  city. 
This  copy  was  bought  for  Mr.  C.  Fiske 
Harris,  of  Providence,  R.  I." 

The  date,  1782,  is  supposed  to  refer  to 
the  time  when  the  work  was  written,  as 
Jefferson  did  not  reach  Paris  till  1784. 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


95 


1544,  and  was  intended  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
natives.  It  was  formerly  supposed  to  have  been  the  first 
book  printed  in  America,  but  there  are,  of  earlier  date,  at 
least  two  or  three  others  known.  It  is  said  that  the  first 
book  was  printed  in  Mexico  in  1535,  but  this  is  doubtful, 
and  it  is  certain  that  no  such  book  is  known  to  be  in  exis- 
tence. There  are  sixteen  other  works  in  the  Brown  library 
printed  in  Mexico,  or  Peru,  before  the  year  1600,  all  of 
which  are  dictionaries,  grammars,  or  books  for  religious 
instruction. 

There  are  in  this  collection  upwards  of  a  hundred 
books  in  the  Indian  languages,  printed  before  the  present 
century,  and  they  embrace  not  only  the  tongues  of  the 
tribes  of  the  United  States  and  of  Canada,  but  also  of 
Mexico,  Central  America,  Peru,  Chili,  and  other  parts  of 
South  America.  Among  them  are  Poger  Williams'  Key  to 
the  Indian  Language,  both  editions  of  Eliot's  Indian  Bible 
and  New  Testament,  and  "The  Indian  Grammar  begun," 
likewise  by  Eliot.  The  latter  volume  was  printed  at  Cam- 
bridge in  1666,  and  is  even  more  rare  than  the  Indian 
Bible,  only  two  or  three  copies  being  known  in  the  United 
States.  Molina's  Dictionary  of  the  Mexican  language, 
printed  in  1555,  is  likewise  contained  in  this  department, 
and  also  the  folio  edition  of  1571.  Of  all  dictionaries  of 
the  aboriginal  languages  ever  printed,  the  edition  of  1571 


96 


THE  BBOWN  LIB  BABY. 


of  Molina  is  the  most  extensive.  A  manuscript  dictionary 
of  the  Maya  and  Spanish  languages,  in  two  volumes,  is  a 
specially  valuable  work  in  this  branch  of  the  collection. 
Though  it  bears  no  date  it  has  been  attributed  to  the  latter 
part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  Maya  is  the  language 
of  Yucatan,  and  is  spoken  by  a  larger  number  of  people 
than  any  of  the  other  aboriginal  tongues.  No  dictionary  of 
it,  however,  has  ever  been  printed. 

Purely  historical  works  alone  do  not  tell  the  student  all 
he  wishes  to  know  about  a  country  or  its  people,  any  more 
than  dictionaries  and  grammars  convey  to  him  an  exhaus- 
tive knowledge  of  its  language.  He  seeks  for  the  national 
literature,  and  from  it  strives  to  gain  an  insight  into  the 
processes  of  thought,  and  the  modes  of  expression,  of  the 
people,  and  thus  arrive  at  the  well-springs  of  their  action. 
In  the  Brown  library  one  is  specially  well  able  to  do  this  in 
regard  to  New  England  two  hundred  years  ago,  for  here 
are  the  works  of  the  Puritan  fathers  in  strong  force. 
Forty-two  of  the  works  of  John  Cotton  look  down  upon  us 
from  the  shelves  of  this  library,  while  the  Mathers  muster 
in  solid  phalanx.  This  grim  array  of  John  Cotton,  and  the 
Mather  family,  is  all  very  well  in  a  bibliographical  sense, 
but  when  we  remember  how  we  have  ineffectually 
attempted  to  struggle  through  our  own  copy  of  Cotton 
Mather's  Magnolia  Christi  Americana,  or  Ecclesiastical  His- 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


97 


tory  of  New  England,*  and  when  we  recall  how  rabid,  old 
Cotton  Mather  was  against  witches,  pronouncing  witchcraft, 
as  he  did,  "the  most  nefandous  high  treason  against  the 
Majesty  on  High,"  we  sincerely  pity  the  poor  fellow 
doomed  to  wade  through  this  arid  waste,  and  to  feed  upon 
these  literary  husks.  Here  too  are  the  works  of  a  long  list 
of  other  Puritan  writers,  Chancy,  Child,  Winslow,  Hooke, 
Hooker,  Morton,  Robinson,  Shepard,  Cobbett,  Edwards, 
Featley,  Pynchon,  etc. 

Of  a  very  different  character  from  the  works  and  dis- 
courses of  the  Puritans  is  Dr.  Franklin's  "  Dissertation  on 
Liberty  and  Necessity,  Pleasure  and  Pain,"  printed  in  Lon- 
don in  1725,  a  brief  essay  in  thirty-two  pages,  which 
Parton,  who  devotes  much  space  to  it  in  his  "Life  and 
Times  of  Franklin,"  reprinting  it  in  full,  calls  an  inge- 
nious and  daring  production.  Franklin  himself  says,  "My 
printing  this  pamphlet  was  another  erratum  "  In  a  letter 
to  his  friend,  Benjamin  Vaughan,  he  wrote,  "  There  were 
only  a  hundred  copies  printed,  of  which  I  gave  a  few  to 
friends ;  and  afterwards  disliking  the  piece,  as  conceiving 
it  might  have  an  ill  tendency,  I  burnt  the  rest,  except 
one  copy,  the  margin  of  which  was  filled  with  manuscript 
notes  by  Lyons,  author  of  the  Infallibility  of  Human  Judg- 
ment, who  was  at  that  time  another  of  my  acquaintance  in 

♦There  is  a  large  paper  copy  of  this  work  in  the  Brown  library. 


98 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


London.  I  was  not  nineteen  years  of  age  when  it  was 
written.  In  1730  I  wrote  a  piece  on  the  other  side  of  the 
question.  .  .  .  This  pamphlet  was  never  printed,  and 
the  manuscript  has  been  long  lost."  This  printed  essay 
seems  likewise  to  have  been  lost,  and  no  copy  of  it  was 
found  till  1852,  when  James  Crossley,  a  writer  in  Notes 
and  Queries,  unearthed  one.  That  copy  and  the  one  in  the 
Brown  library  are  the  only  two  copies,  of  editions  printed 
prior  to  1852,  believed  to  be  in  existence,  though,  strange 
to  say,  they  seem  to  be  different  editions,  and  the  Brown 
copy  to  be  the  earliest. 

Before  leaving  the  American  specialty  of  this  library 
our  Rhode  Island  instincts  lead  us  to  refer  to  a  few  works 
relating  to  Mr.  Brown's  own  native  State.  Here  are  all  the 
known  writings  of  Roger  Williams  in  first  editions,  includ- 
ing the  rare  tract  recently  discovered  in  London,  the 
existence  of  which  was  not  before  known.*    Here  too  are 


*This  little  quarto,  the  text  of  which 
measures  but  four  by  six  inches  on  a  page* 
contains  only  twenty-three  pages,  and  the 
Brown  copy  is  the  only  one  known.  The 
full  title  of  the  book  is  as  follows  :— 

"The  Fourth  Paper,  |  Presented  by  | 
Maior  Butler,  |  To  the  Honourable  Cora- 
mittee  of  |  Parliament,  for  the  Propagat- 
ing the  |  Gospel  of  Christ  Jesus.  |  Which 
Paper  was  humbly  owned,  and  |  was,  and 
is  attended  to  be  made  good.  | 


f  Major  Butler.  )  f  Mr.  Jackson. 
By  }  Mr.  Charles  Vane.  >■  -j  Mr.Wall.  And 

(_  Col.  Danvers.  J  (_  Mr.  Turner. 
Also  |  A  Letter  from  Mr.  Goad,  to  Major  | 
Butler,  upon  occasion  of  the  said  |  Paper 
and  Proposals.  |  Together  with  |  A  Testi- 
mony to  the  said  fourth  Paper,  |  By  way 
of  Explanation  upon  the  four  |  Proposals 
of  it.  |  By  R.  W.  |  Unto  which  is  subjoyned 
the  Fifteen  Proposals  |  of  the  Ministers.  | 
London.   Printed  for  Giles  Calvert,  at  the 


THE  BBOWN  LIB  BABY. 


99 


the  works  of  John  Clarke,  of  Samuel  Gorton,  of  William 
Coddington,  and  of  many  other  Rhode  Island  worthies.  A 
set  of  the  Rhode  Island  Schedules*  to  the  present  time, 
is  an  interesting  feature  of  this  branch.  Prior  to  1747 
they  are  in  manuscript  only,  for  in  that  year  they  first 
began  to  be  printed.  Each  session  is  bound  up  by  itself, 
being  in  folio  till  1817,  and  since  then  in  octavo.  Of 
our  State  laws  there  are,  besides  the  Schedules,  all  the 
Digests  ever  issued,  from  the  first  one  in  1719,  to  the  last 
one  in  1872.  Of  the  first  Digest  but  few  perfect  copies  are 
known  to  be  in  existence. f  Relating  mostly  to  Rhode 
Island  history  are  ten  folio  volumes  of  manuscript  copied 


Black- spred-Eagle  at  the  |  West-end  of 
Pauls.  MDCLII."  The  Introduction,  com- 
prising hut  little  more  than  a  page,  and 
"  A  Testimony  to  the  4th  Paper  presented 
by  Major  Butler  to  the  Honorable  Com- 
mittee for  Propagating  the  Gospel,"  which 
extends  over  nine  pages,  were  written  by 
Roger  Williams  and  are  signed  with  the 
initials  "  R.  W."  There  can  be  no  doubt  as 
to  the  significance  of  the  initials,  for  on 
page  13  is  a  marginal  note  or  reference  as 
follows :— "  Of  which  1  have  spoken  more 
particularly  in  the  Hireling-Ministry  "  &c; 
and  on  page  14  the  following :—"  The  full 
debate  of  this  point,  may  be  seen  in  that 
great  Controversie  of  the  Bloody  Tenet, 
between  Mr.  Cotton  and  myself." 

This  valuable  little  book  was  discovered 
by  Dr.  J.  Hammond  Trumbull  of  Hartford, 
a  few  years  ago,  in  a  volume  of  tracts  of 


the  seventeenth  century,  and  from  him  it 
was  obtained  for  the  Brown  library. 

*The  Acts  and  Resolves  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  are  usually 
called  Schedules. 

t  We  can  trace  but  six  perfect  copies  of 
this  Digest,  viz. :  one  in  the  Brown 
library,  referred  to  above,  one  in  the 
State  Library,  Providence,  one  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Hon.  Elisha  R.  Potter,  of 
North  Kingstown,  R.  I.,  one  in  the  Social 
Law  Library,  Boston,  and  two  in  the  Con- 
gressional  Library,  one  of  which  formerly 
belonged  to  Peter  Force,  and  the  other  to 
Thomas  Jefferson,  the  margins  of  which 
latter  contain  many  notes  in  his  hand- 
writing. 


100 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


from  documents  in  the  State  Paper  Office  in  London,  and 
selected  by  ex-Lieutenant  Governor  S.  G.  Arnold  when  he 
was  residing  in  the  English  capital  collecting  material  for 
his  history  of  Rhode  Island.  There  are  likewise  six  quarto 
volumes  in  manuscript  copied  from  different  collections  in 
Massachusetts,  pertaining  to  Rhode  Island  affairs. 

Although  the  very  large  majority  of  the  books  in  the 
Brown  library  relate  to  its  leading  specialty,  yet  there  are 
some  works  in  it,  and  very  valuable  ones  too,  not  referring 
to  America.  In  this  miscellaneous  department,  if  we  may 
so  term  it,  is  a  collection  of  Polyglot  Bibles,  beginning  with 
the  Complutensian  of  Cardinal  Ximenes,  printed  in  six  vol- 
umes at  the  expense  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  the  Catho- 
lic, in  1514-17.  This  Bible  was  originally  put  at  the 
extremely  low  price  of  six  ducats  and  a  half  a  copy.  As 
only  six  hundred  copies  were  struck  off,  it  has  become 
exceedingly  rare  and  valuable. 

Two  or  three  hundred  volumes  of  Latin  and  Greek 
classics  printed  by  Aldus — chief  among  which  is  Aristotle, 
in  five  folio  volumes,  issued  in  1495-98  —  form  a  group 
abundantly  worthy  of  an  extended  notice,  but  a  mere  men- 
tion of  them  must  suffice  now. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  books  in  the  whole  library, 
and  perhaps  one  of  the  most  costly,  is  "The  Golden 
Legende,"  in  folio,  printed  by  the  executors  of  William 


THE  BE  OWN  LIB  EAR  Y. 


101 


Caxton  in  1493,  from  his  type,  for  that  renowned  printer 
died  in  1491.  Its  quaint  title  page  is  interesting  and  reads 
as  follows :  "  Here  begynneth  the  legende  named  in  Latin 
aurea,  that  is  to  say  in  englys,  the  golden  legende :  for  lyke 
as  passeth  golde  in  valewe  al  other  metallys  soo  thys 
legende  excedeth  all  other  bookes." 

The  only  other  works  in  this  library  that  we  shall 
refer  to,  are  those  illustrated  with  inserted  plates,  of  which 
there  are  numerous  fine  examples.  A  large  paper  copy  of 
Dibdin's  Bibliographical  Decameron,  extended  to  six  vol- 
umes, contains  over  five  hundred  inserted  portraits,  and  the 
same  author's  Tour  in  France  and  Germany  is  so  exten- 
sively illustrated  as  to  be  extended  from  three  volumes  to 
six.  Other  valuable  works  of  this  description  are  Irving's 
quarto  edition  of  Washington,  extended  from  five  volumes 
to  ten,  and  containing  over  one  thousand  plates  ;  Marshall's 
Washington  equally  profusely  illustrated ;  and  Thiers 
French  Revolution,  on  large  paper,  extended  to  ten  vol- 
umes. The  two  volumes  of  the  first  quarto  edition  of 
Boswell's  Johnson  are  stretched  out  to  six  by  their  pictorial 
additions,  and  contain,  among  their  affluence  of  plates,  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  different  portraits  of  Dr.  Johnson 
himself.  The  Johnsoniana,  on  large  paper,  is  extended 
from  one  volume  to  three.  Cunningham's  Life  of  Nell 
Gwyn  has  three  hundred  and  sixty  portraits  and  other 

13 


102 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


plates  ;  Petit's  recent  Life  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  contains 
two  hundred  and  fifty  illustrations  ;  and  a  collection  of  the 
various  portraits  of  that  unfortunate  Queen  fills  a  large 
atlas  folio. 

After  looking  through  the  numerous  editions  of  the 
same  works  that  crowd  the  shelves  of  this  library,  it  will  be 
seen  that  this  description  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Oldbuck's  books, 
in  Scott's  Antiquary,  will,  as  far  as  it  goes,  apply  equally 
well  to  this  collection.  "  Here  were  editions  esteemed  as 
being  the  first,  and  there  stood  those  scarcely  less  regarded 
as  being  the  last  and  best ;  here  was  a  book  valued  because 
it  had  the  author's  final  improvements,  and  there  another 
which  (strange  to  say !)  was  in  request  because  it  had  them 
not.  One  was  precious  because  it  was  a  folio,  another 
because  it  was  a  duodecimo  ;  some  because  they  were  tall, 
some  because  they  were  short ;  the  merit  of  this  lay  in  the 
title  page — of  that  in  the  arrangement  of  the  letters  in  the 
word  Finis.  There  was,  it  seemed,  no  peculiar  distinction, 
however  trifling  or  minute,  which  might  not  give  value  to  a 
volume,  providing  the  indispensable  quality  of  scarcity,  or 
rare  occurrence,  was  attached  to  it." 

The  richness  of  this  collection  makes  it  one  of  the 
really  fine  libraries  of  the  country.  No  description  of  it  is 
adequate,  short  of  a  detailed  catalogue  liberally  annotated, 
and  embellished,  it  may  be,  with  facsimiles  of  maps,  title- 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


103 


pages,  printers'  marks  and  vignettes.  Happily  sneh  a 
catalogue  has  already  been  prepared  by  the  Hon.  John  R. 
Bartlett.  It  is  in  three  parts ;  the  third  part  being 
in  two  volumes,  and  the  other  parts  in  one  volume 
each.  Works  printed  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies are  embraced  in  Part  I. :  the  seventeenth  century 
fills  Part  II. ;  and  the  eighteenth  century  Part  III.  These 
elegant  imperial  octavo  volumes  were  privately  printed 
between  1865  and  1871,  at  the  expense  of  Mr.  Brown;  and 
it  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  fitting  a  monument  to  his  refined 
tastes  should  have  been  restricted  to  only  fifty  copies ;  no 
less  unfortunate  is  it  for  the  cause  of  historical  and  biblio- 
graphical literature.  In  1875  Part  I.  was  enlarged  and 
re-printed,  as  the  portion  of  the  library  embraced  in  it  had 
greatly  increased.  Part  I.  now  consists  of  over  five  hun- 
dred pages,  containing  six  hundred  titles.  It  is  profusely 
illustrated  with  facsimiles  of  sixty-eight  title-pages,  maps, 
and  portraits,  and  fifty-three  wood  cuts  of  vignettes  and 
printers'  devices,  in  the  text.  Each  part  contains  an  alpha- 
betical index,  and  the  whole  forms  the  most  complete, 
elaborate,  and  valuable  catalogue  of  a  private  library  ever 
printed  in  this  country.  The  unfortunate  restriction  in  the 
number  of  copies  printed,  makes  it  a  very  scarce  work  :  as 
it  is  distributed  by  donation  only,  very  few  copies  have,  as 
yet,  passed  under  the  hammer.    We  have  already  referred 


104 


THE  BROWN  LIBRARY. 


to  the  price  paid  for  the  original  Part  I.,  and  Part  II.,  at  the 
Sobolewski  sale :  the  only  other  copy  known  to  have  been 
sold,  was  at  the  Menzies'  sale,  where  it  brought  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  dollars,  and  it  did  not  include  the  enlarged 
Part  I.  A  revised  and  enlarged  Part  II.  is,  we  understand, 
in  an  advanced  state  of  preparation,  and  will  doubtless,  ere 
long,  be  put  to  press. 

In  his  will  Mr.  Brown  left  his  library  to  his  widow, 
and  we  are  happy  to  know  that  she  keeps  it  up  in  the  same 
liberal  manner  that  characterized  her  late  husband.  Both 
Mrs.  Brown,  since  her  husband's  death,  and  Mr.  Brown,  in 
his  lifetime,  have  been  fortunate  in  having  the  advice  and 
assistance  of  Mr.  Bartlett  in  the  selection  and  care  of  their 
magnificent  collection. 

The  owners  of  these  books  have  been  very  generous  in 
allowing  scholars  the  use  of  them.  More  than  one  seeker 
after  knowledge  has  found  here  what  he  had  long  sought 
for  elsewhere  in  vain.  Several  years  ago  a  German  trav- 
eller in  Yucatan  heard  of  the  existence  of  the  Maya  Dic- 
tionary in  manuscript,  already  alluded  to,  for  it  had  been 
known  for  many  years  to  the  priests  and  men  of  culture  of 
that  country,  though  its  whereabouts  was  unknown.  He 
made  a  long  but  fruitless  search,  until,  at  last,  he  traced  it  to 
the  United  States,  and  finally  to  the  Brown  library.  Hither 
he  bent  his  steps,  and  the  long  sought  volume  was  placed 


THE  BROWN  LIB  BABY. 


105 


in  his  hands.  Here  he  remained  for  a  whole  year,  nor  did 
he  depart  until  he  had  finished  a  complete  transcript  of  the 
entire  work.  The  obligations  of  Mr.  Major,  and  of  Sir 
Arthur  Helps,  to  this  library,  have  been  already  adverted 
to  ;  and  perhaps  we  cannot  conclude  this  description  better 
than  by  adding  the  testimony  of  Sir  Arthur  Helps  in  regard 
to  American  book-collectors — testimony,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, elicited  by  the  liberality  of  the  late  owner  of  this 
very  library.  Sir  Arthur's  closing  sentence  of  the  passage 
we  have  given  in  part  on  the  first  page  of  this  sketch,  is 
as  follows : — "  As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge,  the 
American  collectors  of  books  are  exceedingly  liberal  and 
courteous  in  the  use  of  them,  and  seem  really  to  understand 
what  the  object  should  be  in  forming  a  great  library." 


ME.  JOSEPH  J.  COOKE'S 
LIBRARY. 


MR,  JOSEPH  J.  COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


Andrew.    Unload  part  of  the  Library,  and  make  room 

For  th'  other  dozen  of  carts;    I'll  strait  be  with  you. 
Cook.        Why,  hath  he  more  books? 

The  Elder  Brother. 

Mr.  Cooke  is  the  Richard  Heber  of  Providence.  He 
has  not,  as  yet,  eight  houses  filled  with  books,  as  had  that 
omnivorous  English  collector,  but  if  he  continues  to  accu- 
mulate as  rapidly  as  he  has  for  a  few  years  past,  he  will 
rival  him  at  a  no  very  remote  day.  Already  the  three  sto- 
ries of  Mr.  Cooke's  residence  at  Elm  wood  are  running  over 
with  books ;  his  summer  house  at  Newport  is  liberally  sup- 
plied ;  his  suite  of  offices  on  South  Main  Street  is  filled  to 
repletion  ;  and,  over  his  offices,  a  large  room,  hall-like  in 
size,  is  literally  crammed  full  and  choked  up  with  books. 
In  this  latter  apartment  cases  rise  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and 
line  the  walls,  the  books  within  being  not  unfrequently 
arranged  two  deep  ;  while  in  the  middle  of  the  room  some 
thirty  large  boxes,  solidly  packed  with  books,  are  waiting 


110 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


for  their  contents  to  find  shelf  room.  The  author — and  Mr. 
Rider,  the  bookseller,  shares  his  opinion — estimates  the 
number  of  Mr.  Cooke's  volumes  at  over  twenty  thousand. 
Indeed,  it  is  so  impossible  to  apply  any  just  standard  of 
measurement  or  enumeration  to  them,  there  may  be 
half  as  many  again  as  that  estimate,  for,  in  looking  at  these 
volumes,  one  feels  like  exclaiming  with  Dominie  Sampson, 
in  Guy  Mannering,  when  first  beholding  the  ponderous 
contents  of  the  chests  containing  the  Bishop's  Library — 
Prodigious  ! 

An  illustration  or  two  will  best  show  the  rapidity  with 
which  this  collection  has  been  acquired.  Some  fifteen  large 
boxes  were  required  to  contain  the  purchases  made  at  the 
Hastie- Tracy  sale,  and  the  additions  made  at  other  recent 
sales  filled  a  number  more.  Six  hundred  and  fifty-three 
lots,  aggregating  eleven  hundred  and  thirteen  volumes,  at  a 
cost  of  over  twelve  thousand  dollars,  were  obtained  at  the 
Menzies  sale,  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  took  place  in 
November,  1876.  The  influx  of  books  is  so  great,  and  so 
rapid,  that  we  do  not  see  how  Mr.  Cooke  manages  to 
arrange  and  dispose  of  his  volumes  even  as  well  as  he  does. 

A  glance  at  the  character  of  the  works  gathered  here, 
and  especially  at  the  additions  from  the  Menzies  sale, 
clearly  demonstrates  that  Mr.  Cooke  loves  good  books ; 
while  the  prices  paid  for  them  indicate  that  these  lines 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


Ill 


from  Peele's  Jests,  might  properly  be  adapted  to  him  and 
his  library : — 

"Bay,  reacle,  and  radge, 
The  price  doe  not  grudge- 
It  will  doe  thee  more  pleasure 
Thau  twice  soe  much  treasure." 

This  collection  has  no  specialty.  There  are  many 
books  here  in  many  departments.  In  the  department  of 
history  there  is  much  that  is  rare  and  valuable  relating  to 
America,  as  well  as  much  pertaining  to  other  parts  of  the 
globe.  But  not  only  does  the  history,  but  the  languages 
also,  of  all  countries,  seem  to  commingle  here.  Fables  in 
Persian  stand  beside  voyages  of  early  explorers  in  Dutch, 
while  French  verses  and  Spanish  chronicles  flank,  on  either 
hand,  sober  Latin  treatises.  Upon  the  same  shelf  subjects 
meet  as  diverse  as  the  antipodes.  There  are  many  Bibles 
of  different  dates,  and  in  various  languages :  there  are  also 
many  volumes  of  the  drama.  The  merry  songs  of  the 
Cavaliers  mingle  with  the  sombre  discourses  of  the  Eound- 
heads  ;  and  the  shameless  tales  of  the  Italians  crowd  upon 
the  godly  homilies  of  the  Puritans. 

In  culling  out  a  few  examples  from  this  bewildering 
mass,  by  way  of  illustration,  the  reader  must  bear  in  mind 
that  there  will  be  hundreds  of  volumes  left  unnoticed  for 
every  one  mentioned.     Eliot's  Indian  Bible,  printed  at 

14 


112 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


Cambridge  in  1663,  is  one  of  the  gems  of  the  collection. 
It  is  elegantly  bound  by  Bedford  in  olive  Levant  morocco, 
and  it  contains  the  Dedication  to  King  Charles,  of  which 
Thomas,  in  his  History  of  Printing,  tells  us  that  only 
twenty  copies  were  printed.  This  volume,  a  duplicate  from 
the  Bodleian  Library,  was  sent  to  this  country,  in  1862,  to  be 
sold.  After  passing  through  several  hands  it  was  purchased 
by  Mr.  Menzies,  at  whose  sale  it  was  acquired  by  Mr. 
Cooke  ;  and  from  the  Menzies  Catalogue  we  extract  a  few 
words  in  relation  to  its  condition.  "  The  book  is  absolutely 
perfect  throughout,  a  genuine  first  edition  from  beginning 
to  end,  beyond  cavil  or  question.  ...  In  short,  it  is  a 
matchless  copy."  When  we  recall  that  Mr.  John  A.  Rice 
paid  eleven  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  for  this  very  volume 
at  the  Bruce  sale,  in  1868,  we  can  hardly  refrain  from 
wishing  for  the  dozen  copies  presented  to  John  Dunton ; 
for  that  worthy,  in  speaking  of  his  visit  to  Boston,  in  his 
Life  and  Errors,  says — "My  next  ramble  was  to  Roxbury, 
in  order  to  visit  the  Rev.  Mr.  Eliot,  the  great  Apostle  of 
the  Indians.  He  was  pleased  to  receive  me  with  abun- 
dance of  respect ;  and  inquired  very  kindly  after  Dr.  Annes- 
ley,  my  father-in-law,  and  then  broke  out  with  a  world  of 
seeming  satisfaction,  4  Is  my  brother  Annesley  yet  alive  \ 
Is  he  yet  converting  souls  to  God?  Blessed  be  God  for 
this  information  before  I  die.'     He  presented  me  with 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY.  113 

twelve  Indian  Bibles,  and  desired  me  to  bring  one  of  them 
over  to  Dr.  Annesley ;  as  also  with  twelve  1  Speeches  of 
converted  Indians,'  which  himself  had  published."  It  is 
said  that  Dr.  Trumbull,  of  Hartford,  is  the  only  person,  now 
living,  that  can  read  the  dialect  into  which  this  Bible  has 
been  translated ;  and  we  can  readily  believe  it  when  we 
encounter  in  it  such  words  as — "  Nuppoquohwussuaeneu- 
mun,"  and  "  Wutappesittukqussunnoowehtunkquoh,"  which 
latter  is  to  be  found  in  the  fortieth  verse  of  the  first  chap- 
ter of  St.  Mark,  and  signifies  "  kneeling  down  to  him." 

The  gem  of  this  library,  par  excellence,  is  a  collection 
of  manuscript  letters  written  by  General  Washington  to 
General  Joseph  Reed  of  Philadelphia,  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  which  brought  two  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  at  the  Menzies  sale.  A  part  of  this 
series  was  printed  by  a  former  owner,  and  thirty-three  of 
these  letters  were  wholly,  or  partially,  introduced  by  Mr. 
Sparks  into  the  "  Writings  of  Washington." 

Mr.  Cooke  likewise  has  a  number  of  valuable  manu- 
script letters  by  General  Washington  not  in  the  Reed  col- 
lection, the  earliest  of  which  is  dated  at  Alexandria,  March 
twenty-second,  1754.  There  are  also  about  fifty  volumes 
here  from  Washington's  private  library,  some  of  them  bear- 
ing his  autograph  on  the  title-pages,  and  some  of  them 
having  his  book-plate.    Mr.  Cooke's  copy  of  "The  Letters 


114 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


of  Valens,"  which  originally  appeared  in  the  London 
Evening  Post,  and  which  were  published  in  book  form  in 
London  in  1777,  has  this  presentation  inscription  written 
by  the  publisher  on  the  title-page — "For  His  Excellency 
General  Washington,  from  Mr.  Almon." 

There  are  numerous  other  manuscript  letters  in  this 
collection,  some  of  the  most  interesting  being  from  Gov- 
ernor Dinwiddie,  General  Braddock,  Thomas  Jefferson, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  and  other  Revolutionary  and  ante- 
Revolutionary  personages.  One  of  these  letters  from  the 
ill-fated  Braddock  is  dated  at  44  Camp  5  miles  from  Fort 
Cumberland,  June  11,  1755,"  scarcely  a  month  before  his 
tragic  death. 

The  names  of  Braddock  and  Franklin  suggest  a  choice 
cluster  of  books  relating  to  Pennsylvania,  all  daintily  bound 
by  Bedford.  The  first  is  "A  Brief  State  of  the  Province  of 
Pennsylvania,"  &c,  Second  London  Edition,  1755,  and  is 
supposed  to  have  been  written,  according  to  Rich,  by  Rev. 
William  Smith,  assisted  by  Dr.  Franklin.  Next  is  44  An 
Answer  to  an  invidious  Pamphlet,  intituled,  A  Brief  State  of 
the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,"  &c,  London,  1755.  44 This 
answer,"  to  quote  from  the  next  of  the  series  about  to  be 
mentioned,  44  is  said  to  be  the  production  of  one,  Cross,  for- 
merly an  attorney's  clerk,  who  was  convicted  of  forgery, 
sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  after  some  time  obtained  the 


3JB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BAB  Y. 


115 


favor  of  transportation ;  and  did  us  the  honour  to  take  up 
his  residence  in  this  province."    Following  this  comes  "A 
Brief  View  of  the  Conduct  of  Pennsylvania  for  the  year 
1755;  So  far  as  it  affected  the  General  Service  of  the 
British  Colonies,  particularly  the  Expedition  under  the  late 
General  Braddock.    .    .    .    Being  a  Sequel  to  a  late  well- 
known  Pamphlet,  intitled,  A  Brief  State  of  Pennsylvania," 
&c,  London,  1756.    The  concluding  volume  is  entitled — 
;'A  True  and  Impartial  State  of  the  Province  of  Pennsylva- 
nia.   .    .    .    The  whole  being  a  full  Answer  to  the  Pam- 
phlets intitled  A  Brief  State,  and  A  Brief  View,  &c.,  of  the 
Conduct  of  Pennsylvania,"  Philadelphia,  1759.     This  last 
book  has  never  been  reprinted.     It  completes  a  series 
relating  to  one  of  the  most  stirring  periods  in  the  provincial 
history  of  Pennsylvania.     Mr.  Joseph  Sabin  says  in  the 
Menzies  catalogue,  for  these  volumes  came  from  that  sale  — 
uWe  have  never  before  met  with  the  entire  series  embodied 
in  any  sale  catalogue."     The  first  three  are  uncut ;  and 
inserted  in  the  third,  or  "  Brief  View,"  is  a  manuscript 
letter  by  Benjamin  Franklin  to  General  Johnson,  dated 
"Philadelphia,  Aug.  11,  1755." 

The  lover  of  works  relating  to  America  will  find  much 
of  interest  in  this  library.  Among  numerous  other  volumes 
some  rare  English  versions  of  Peter  Martyr,  Las  Casas' 
Tracts,  and  the  Great  Voyages  of  De  Bry,  in  Latin,  cannot 


116 


MR.    COOKE' 8  LIB  BAR  Y. 


fail  to  attract  his  attention.  Of  the  former  there  is  "  The 
History  of  Trauayle  in  the  West  and  East  Indies,  and  other 
countreys  lying  eyther  way,  towardes  the  frutefull  and  rych 
Moluccaes.  .  .  .  Gathered  in  parte,  and  done  into 
Englyshe  by  Richarde  Eden.  Newly  set  in  order,  aug- 
mented, and  finished  by  Richard  Willes."  London,  1577: 
there  is  also  "  The  Historie  of  the  West  Indies,  Containing 
the  Actes  and  Aduentures  of  the  Spaniards,  which  haue 
conquered  and  peopled  those  Countries,  inriched  with 
varietie  of  pleasant  relation  of  the  Manners,  Ceremonies, 
Lawes,  Gouernments,  and  Warres  of  the  Indians.  Pub- 
lished in  Latin  by  Mr.  Hakluyt,  and  translated  into  English 
by  M.  Lok.  Gent.  .  .  .  London,  printed  for  Andrew 
Hebb,  and  are  to  be  sold  at  the  Signe  of  the  Bell  in  Pauls 
Church-yard."  The  date  of  this  publication  does  not  seem 
to  be  well  settled,  White  Kennett  placing  it  at  1597,  and 
Rich  at  1612  ;  but,  whatever  the  date,  the  copy  in  this  col- 
lection is  a  remarkably  large  and  fine  one  of  the  rarest  of 
the  English  versions  of  Peter  Martyr.  One  of  Mr.  Cooke's 
De  Bry's,  for  he  has  two  sets  of  the  Great  Voyages  in 
Latin,  contains  many  duplicate  plates  and  leaves  exhibiting 
the  differences  noted  by  Brunet.  Indeed,  many  of  the 
parts  conform  strictly  to  Brunefs  description,  and  the 
whole  forms  a  set  of  uncommon  excellence,  it  having  come 
from  the  Sobolewski  sale.    Another  valuable  volume  from 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


117 


the  same  collection  is  an  extremely  large  and  full  margined 
copy  of  Hakluytus  Posthumus,  or  Purchas,  his  Pilgrimes, 
of  the  London  edition  of  1625-26,  with  brilliant  impres- 
sions of  the  original  Frontispiece,  and  the  original  map 
of  Virginia.  Then  there  are  rare  Mathers  here,  and  a 
remarkably  fine  copy  of  Campanius'  Description  of  the 
Province  of  New  Sweden,  now  called  by  the  English, 
Pennsylvania,  in  America,  published  at  Stockholm  in  the 
Swedish  language,  in  1702,  the  title  given  by  us  being  a 
translation.  Duponceau  says — "The  author  was  never  in 
America.  His  work  is  made  up  from  verbal  accounts 
received  from  his  father,  and  notes  left  by  his  grandfather, 
to  which  he  has  added  facts  obtained  from  the  manuscripts 
of  Peter  Lindstrom,  an  engineer." 

Other  rarities  are  an  uncut  Bullock's  Virginia  Impar- 
tially examined,  &c..*  London,  1649  ;  Dickinson's  Letters 
from  a  Farmer  in  Pennsylvania  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
British  Colonies,  Boston,  1768,  and  an  uncut  set  of  the 
Constitutional  Debates  of  the  Virginia  Convention  of  1788, 


*In  Catalogue  No.  40,  issued  in  1877,  by- 
Ellis  &  White,  London  booksellers,  an 
uncut  copy  of  this  work,  bound  in  blue 
morocco,  is  offered  at  15 1.  15  s.:  appended 
to  the  title  is  this  note:— "As  an  uncut 
copy  of  this  very  rare  volume,  this  copy  is 
probably  unique.  The  last  leaf  and  a  por- 
tion of  another  is  in  very  beautiful  fac- 


simile." Owing  to  the  existence  of  Mr. 
Cooke's  copy,  Ellis  &  White's  note  is  a 
little  too  broad,  but  perhaps  that  copy, 
and  Mr.  Cooke's,  are  the  only  two  uncut 
copies  extant.  Mr.  Cooke's  copy  came 
from  the  Menzies  sale,  where  it  brought 
eighty  dollars. 


118 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


issued  at  Petersburg  in  1788-9,  and  including  the  very  rare 
third  volume. 

New  England's  First  Fruits,  London,  1643,  and  Shep- 
ard's  "  Clear  Sunshine  of  the  Gospel  breaking  forth  upon 
the  Indians  in  New  England,"  London,  1648,  afford  fine 
illustrations  of  the  series  of  works  giving  accounts  of  the 
efforts  made  at  that  time  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  ; 
while  "  New  England's  Teares,  for  old  England's  Feares," 
a  sermon  preached  on  July  23,  1640,  by  William  Hooke, 
"Minister  of  God's  Word,  some  time  of  Axmouth  in  Devon- 
shire, now  of  Taunton  in  New  England,"  printed  at  London 
in  1641,  furnishes  a  fitting  example  of  the  kind  of  dis- 
course our  Puritan  progenitors  delighted  to  sit  under. 

Of  noteworthy  works  pertaining  to  the  Revolutionary 
War,  are  the  original  edition  of  the  Proceedings  of  a  Gene- 
ral Court  Martial  upon  Major  General  Lee,  printed  in 
Philadelphia,  in  1778;  the  Correspondence  between  His 
Excellency  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  Lieutenant  General 
Earl  Cornwallis,  New  York,  1781  ;  and  a  small  cluster  of 
volumes,  which  Mr.  Joseph  Sabin  says,  "may  sometime 
afford  material  for  an  instructive  and  interesting  episode  in 
the  history  of  the  Revolution,  in  which  Franklin,  Williams, 
Paul  Jones,  and  Deane,  may,  possibly,  be  brought  to 
occupy  the  same  niche."  The  first  of  this  cluster  in  the 
order  of  publication  is  Arthur  Lee's  "  Observations  on  Cer- 


31B.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY.  119 

tain  Commercial  Transactions  in  France,  laid  before  Con- 
gress," printed  at  Philadelphia  in  1780,  being  an  exposition 
of  alleged  extravagant  and  wasteful  expenditure  of  the  pub- 
lic money  by  Franklin,  and  his  nephew,  Jonathan  Williams, 
during  their  official  residence  at  Paris.  The  temper  of 
this  work  may  be  imagined  from  Williams'  language 
charging  Lee  "  with  the  delight  of  glutting  his  soul  with  the 
carnage  of  his  (Williams')  character,"  &c.  It  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  Lee,  together  with  Benjamin  Franklin 
and  Silas  Deane,  were  Joint  Commissioners  to  the  Court  of 
France  ;  and  a  single  sentence  from  Bancroft's  History  of 
the  United  States  will  show  that  eminent  historian's  esti- 
mate of  them,  Deane  being  the  merchant,  and  Lee  the 
barrister  referred  to  by  him.  "Thus  the  United  States," 
says  Mr.  Bancroft,  "  were  to  be  represented  in  France,  to 
its  people  and  to  the  elder  House  of  Bourbon,  by  a 
treacherous  merchant,  by  a  barrister  who,  otherwise  a 
patriot,  was  consumed  by  malignant  envy,  and  by  Franklin, 
the  greatest  diplomatist  of  his  century."  Next  in  this 
series  comes  "  Extracts  from  a  Letter  written  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  Congress,  by  the  Honorable  Arthur  Lee,  Esquire. 
In  Answer  to  a  Libel  published  in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette 
of  the  Fifth  of  December,  1778,  by  Silas  Deane,  Esquire. 
In  which  every  Charge  or  Insinuation  against  him  in  that 
Libel,  is  fully  and  clearly  refuted."     Philadelphia,  1780. 

15 


120 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


The  two  last  are  Silas  Dearie's  "Address  to  the  Free  and 
Independent  Citizens  of  the  United  States  of  North 
America,"  printed  at  Hartford  in  1784;  and  his  "Address 
to  the  United  States  of  North  America,"  &c,  published  in 
London  in  1784.  These  two  addresses  are  the  author's 
vindication  of  himself  from  charges  of  fraud  and  peculation 
in  the  management  of  the  public  money,  and  of  engaging 
himself  in  the  interest  of  the  enemies  of  his  country.  Evi- 
dently our  Revolutionary  forefathers  had  their  little  squab- 
bles and  acrimonies.  We  have  no  doubt  that  they  were 
very  human,  as  their  grandchildren  after  them  are ;  and  if 
we  do  not  misinterpret  a  manuscript  order  here,  in  the 
bold,  dashing  hand  of  John  Hancock,  inserted  in  an  oration 
delivered  by  him  in  1770,  that  immortal  patriot  sometimes 
indulged  in  an  election  bet,  and  realized  the  privilege  of 
paying  it,  too,  just  as  the  man  of  average  morality  does  in 
our  day.  The  reader,  however,  shall  judge  for  himself,  for 
the  order  is  as  follows  : — 

"Boston  July  10th  17G9 

Joseph  Jackson  Esq. 

Sir.  Please  to  Deliver  Mr  Joseph  Bradford  one  best  Beaver  Hat, 
and  charge  to  acco't  of 

Sir, 

Rec'd  the  contents  Your  most  hum'l  S'v't. 

per  Jos.  Bradford.  JOHN  HANCOCK." 

There  are  rare  imprints  of  Bartholomew  Green,  of 
William  Bradford,  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  of  other 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


121 


famous  early  American  printers,  in  this  collection.  There 
are  also  some  imprints  here  especially  interesting  to  Rhode 
Islanders.  It  is  stated  in  Thomas'  History  of  Printing, 
that — "  The  press  was  first  established  in  this  town  (New- 
port) in  the  year  1732  ;  and  was  the  only  one  in  the  colony 
till  1762."  However  this  may  have  been,  there  is,  in  Mr. 
Cooke's  library,  a  copy  of  Robert  Barclay's  Apology,  with 
this  imprint — "  Newport,  Rhode  Island:  Printed  by  James 
Franklin,  1729."*    Here  also  are  some  pamphlets  with  the 


*The  statement  of  Thomas  is  clearly 
erroneous,  and  is  to  be  accounted  for, 
perhaps,  by  his  confounding  the  date  of 
the  establishment  of  the  first  newspaper 
in  this  State,  with  that  of  the  introduction 
of  the  printing-press. 

As  early  as  1709  it  was  proposed  to  start 
a  press  in  Rhode  Island,  but  we  can  find 
no  evidence  that  one  was  actually  started 
then.  All  the  light  we  possess  upon 
the  subject,  is  obtained  from  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  records  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  at  its 
March  Session,  1709 :— "  Voted  and  be  it 
farther  Enacted  that  whereas  there  is  one 
Bradford,  son  to  Bradford  ye  Printer  of 
New  York,  who  hath  offered  Himselfe  to 
set  up  a  Printing  Press  in  this  Place  and 
to  find  Paper  &  Print  all  things  that  may 
Relate  to  ye  Collony  and  Government  for 
fifty  Pounds  p'r  annum  If  it  be  but  for  one 
year  or  two.  The  Assembly  considering 
ye  Premises  are  upon  the  Conditions 
aforesaid  willing  to  Alow  him  ye  said 


Bradford  fifty  Pounds  for  one  year  and  so 
yearly  If  ye  Collony  see  good  to  Improve 
Him." 

Hon.  S.  G.  Arnold,  in  his  History  of 
Rhode  Island,  referring  to  James  Frank- 
lin's setting  up  a  printing  establishment 
in  Newport,  in  1727,  says  "a  pamphlet 
printed  by  him  this  year  is  still  in  exis- 
tence." 

We  find  among  the  Colonial  records  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of 
Rhode  Island,  a  petition  from  "James 
Franklin  of  Newport,  Printei-,"  dated  May 
second,  1728.  In  it  he  explains  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  at  length,  the  ease  with 
which  the  Bills  of  Public  Credit,  when 
printed  from  engraved  plates,  were  coun- 
terfeited, and  how,  in  his  opinion,  that 
great  and  growing  evil  might  be  remedied 
by  using  raised  type.  He  concludes  with 
a  prayer  that  he  may  be  entrusted  with 
printing  the  Bills  in  the  manner  recom- 
mended by  him.  His  petition  did  not 
meet  with  success,  for  the  clerk  of  the 


122 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


imprint  of  Solomon  South  wick,  another  early  Rhode  Island 
printer. 

William  Goddard  settled  in  Providence  in  1762,"  and 


Assembly  endorsed  upon  it  — "Its  the 
opinion  of  this  house  is  that  this  Petition 
be  voted  out." 

A  petition  from  Franklin  in  1730,  and 
another  in  1732,  are  preserved  in  the  office 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  as  they  con- 
tain some  interesting  statements  relating 
to  the  public  printers  of  other  States,  a 
century  and  a  half  ago,  and  some  facts  as 
to  the  length  of  time  he  had  been  a  printer 
in  Rhode  Island,  the  cost  of  his  outfit,  the 
amount  of  his  profits,  etc.,  we  copy  them 
in  full.  The  first  one  is  as  follows  :— 

"To  the  Honourable  Joseph  Jencks 
Esq'r'  Gov'r,  the  Honourable  Deputy  Gov- 
ernour,  Assistants,  and  House  of  Deputies, 
in  General  Court  assembled. 

The  Petition  of  James  Franklin  of 
Newport, 

Printer, 

Humbly  Sheweth, 
That  tho'  it  is  customary  in  all  his  Ma- 
jesty's Plantations,  where  Printing  is 
thought  necessary  for  the  Publick  Service 
of  the  Government,  to  allow  a  Printer  a 
competent  Salary,  for  his  Encouragement 
in  printing  the  Votes,  Laws,  Orders, 
Resolves,  Proclamations,  &c.  Yet  your 
Petitioner,  tho'  paid  for  printing  the  Body 
of  Laws,  has  not  been  allow'd  any  Salary. 

Your  Petitioner  begs  leave  to  inform 
this  Honourable  Assembly,  That  in  the 
Colony  of  Connecticut,  £50  p'r  Annum  was 
allow'd  to  the  first  Printer  there,  above 


Twenty  Years  since,  and  Sixty  to  his  Suc- 
cessor, which  has  been  several  Times 
rais'd,  and  still  continued.  At  New  York, 
Mr.  Bradford  has  £80  p'r  Annum  of  that 
Currency.  At  Pensilvania,  the  first 
Printer  had  his  Tools  purchas'd,  and 
Printing  House  built,  at  the  Charge  of  the 
Province,  and  a  considerable  Salary 
besides.  At  Maryland,  Mr.  Parks,  the 
Printer  there,  has  Twenty-Four  Thousand 
Weight  of  Tobacco  p'r  Annum,  at  One 
Penny  p'r  Pound,  which  amounts  to  about 
£100  of  that  Currency. 

Your  Petitioner  therefore  humbly  prays 
That  in  Consideration  of  the  Charge  and 
Time  of  his  removing  from  Boston,  the 
great  Price  of  his  Tools,  above  what  is 
common  in  other  Trades,  his  often  Want 
of  Business  at  Printing,  and  the  Encour- 
agement usually  given  to  Printers  by 
other  his  Majesty's  Governments  in  the 
Plantations,  on  the  above  Accounts  this 
Honourable  Assembly  will  allow  him  a 
reasonable  Salary;  for  which  he  is  willing 
to  print,  at  the  Conclusion  of  every  Ses- 
sions, all  Laws,  Orders,  Resolves  and 
Votes  therein  made,  and  from  Time  to 
Time,  Proclamations,  and  other  Publick 
Business  of  the  Government. 

And  your  Petitioner,  as  in  Duty  bound, 
shall  ever  pray,  &c. 

JAMES  FRANKLIN. 

Newport,  Feb.  23. 
1730." 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


123 


was  the  first  to  establish  a  printing  press  there.  Numerous 
sermons  with  Goddard's  imprint,  some  of  them  as  early  as 
1763,  are  to  be  found  in  Mr.  Cooke's  library.  Mr.  Lorenzo 
Sabine  includes  William  Goddard  in  his  "Biographical 
Sketches  of  Loyalists  of  the  American  Revolution,"  but 


"Feb'r'SSd,  1730. 

To  the  House  of  Mag'r't's  Gen'l. 

Gent. 

Resolv'd  that  this  Petition  be  referr'd 
to  Next  Sessions  of  Assembly. 
Voted  &  past 

p'r  Ord'r        J.  Lyndon,  Cler." 

"  Concurred  with. 

p'r  R.  Ward,  Sec'y." 

June  17th,  1731.  To  Ye  house  of  Mag't's 
Gent. 

This  Petition  is  Voted  Out  Nemino  contra- 
dicenten. 

P'r  Ord'r        J.  Lyndon,  Cler." 

'•Concurr'd  with. 

by  Ord'r        R.  Ward,  Sec'y." 

Franklin's  next  Petition  met  with  better 
success :  it  is  as  follows  :— 

"  Colony  of  Rhode  Island  &c. 

To  the  hono'ble  William  Wanton  Esq'r' 
the  Governor  &  to  the  hono'ble  the 
Council  &  Representatives  in  Gen- 
eral Court  assembled. 
The  Petition  of  James  Franklin  of  New- 
port 

Printer, 

Humbly  Sheweth 
That  your  Petit'r  hath  Sometime  Since 
Inform'd   this   hono'ble    Court   of  the 


Encouragement  given  to  the  Printers  of 
New  London,  New  York,  Philadelphia  & 
Annapolis  in  Maryland  &  Petition'd  for 
Some  allowance  for  himselfe  as  he  is  a 
printer  here,  w'ch  Petition  being  rejected 
Your  Petit'r  begs  leave  further  to  Inform 
this  honourable  Assembly,  —  That  the 
Governm't  of  South  Carolina  have  Since 
granted  a  thousand  pounds  of  that  Cur- 
rency to  a  Printer  there  upon  his  Arrival 
w'th  his  tools  &  allow'd  him  a  Sallary  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  that  Governm't. 

Your  Petit'r  hath  ever  Since  he  Settl'd 
in  this  Colony  allways  had  a  tender  care 
of  printing  any  thing  that  might  prove 
Injurious  to  the  Publick  altho'  it  were 
never  So  much  to  his  owne  private  advan- 
tage and  begs  leave  further  to  Inform  this 
hono'ble  assembly  That  his  Tools  cost 
him  near  £600  and  that  the  work  he  has 
had  to  Improve  them  Since  he  has  been 
settled  in  Newport  has  not  amounted  by 
Computation  to  about  90 1,  y  ann.  one  year 
w'th  another,  the  Charge  of  paper,  Ink, 
Men's  Wages  &  the  Rent  of  the  Printing 
house  &c  being  deducted,  So  that  he  has 
had  very  little  more  for  five  years  labour 
in  Printing  than  the  Interest  of  the  money 
his  Tools  are  worth. 

And  as  your  Petit'r  allways  was  &  Still 
is  ready  to  serve  the  Colony  in  his  busi- 


124 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


the  proof  of  Goddard's  Toryism  is  not  convincing,  consisting 
only  of  his  admitting  into  his  newspaper,  communications 
which  excited  the  indignation  of  the  more  violent  of  the 
Baltimore  Whig  Club,  after  he  had  removed  to  that  city. 
It  is  far  more  agreeable  to  believe  that  Thomas  could  not 
be  far  wrong  about  a  matter  so  near  his  own  time,  and 
hence  we  prefer  his  delineation  of  the  character  of  this 
pioneer  of  the  Providence  press — "Few,"  says  Thomas,  in 
his  History  of  Printing,  "  could  conduct  a  newspaper  better 
than  Goddard ;  he  was  a  capable  editor,  and  his  talents 
were  often  drawn  into  requisition.  He,  like  many  others, 
was  a  laborious  agent  in  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  in 
many  instances  where  he  had  neither  honor  nor  profit  for 
his  reward.  When  the  loaves  and  fishes  were  to  be 
divided,  aspiring,  interested,  nominal  patriots,  crowded  him 


ness  of  Printing,  &c.  w'th  the  utmost 
fidelity  &  diligence  hopes  your  honors 
will  be  Pleas'd  to  take  his  Case  into  your 
Serious  Consideration  &  grant  him  Such 
Sallary  &  allowance  as  in  your  wisdome 
&  Goodness  shall  seem  meet  &  as  in  Duty 
Bound  Shall  ever  Pray,  &c. 

JAMES  FRANKLIN." 

"June  15th,  1732. 

To  the  House  of  Mag't's. 

Gent. 

Resolv'd  That  James  Franklin  be  allow'd 
and  paid  out  of  the  Gen'l  Treasury  the 


Sum  of  £20,  at  the  years  End  provided 
he  print  therefor  what  Gen'l  Acts  shall 
be  past  by  this  Gen'l  Assembly  within 
ye  said  Term.  20  Copys  of  Each  Act. 
Voted  &  past. 
P'r  Ord'r       J.  Lyndon,  Cler. 

Concurr'd  with  the 
Emendation. 

p'r  Ord'r        K  Ward,  Sec'y." 

All  of  the  first  petition  is  in  Franklin's 
handwriting:  the  second  is  only  signed 
by  him. 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIBBABY. 


125 


into  the  background,  and  his  services  were  in  a  great  meas- 
ure forgotten." 

Among  Mr.  Cooke's  other  treasures  are  works  by  the 
early  printers,  and  productions  of  the  monks  before  the 
printing  press  was  known.  One  of  the  most  beautiful 
specimens  of  the  chirography  of  the  fourteenth  century 
that  we  have  ever  seen,  is  a  Latin  Bible  supposed  to  have 
been  executed  about  the  year  1370.  The  vellum  pages, 
five  inches  wide,  are  almost  as  thin  as  India  paper,  and  the 
manuscript,  arranged  in  double  columns,  is  garnished  with 
graceful  initials  and  ornate  numbers.  The  characters, 
though  perfectly  clear  and  distinct,  are  yet  so  diminutive, 
that  a  glass  is  almost  necessary  to  decipher  them. 

Of  several  missals  here,  mention  will  be  made  of  one 
only.  This  exquisite  testimonial  of  monastic  zeal  is 
enriched  with  thirteen  finely  painted  miniatures,  and  the 
border  of  each  page  is  delicately  ornamented  with  flowers 
and  many  other  beautiful  designs.  The  shining  gold  of  the 
numerous  initials,  still  untarnished  after  the  lapse  of  centu- 
ries, excites  regret  that  this  brilliant  style  of  illumination  is 
now  among  the  lost  arts.  The  coloring  of  the  ornamenta- 
tion affords  a  pleasing  contrast  with  the  immaculate  fresh- 
ness of  the  vellum,  and  makes  this  monkish  relic  a  verita- 
ble thing  of  beauty. 

Of  old  typography  worthy  of  note  in  this  collection,  is 


126 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRAE Y. 


Strabo's  Geograpliia,  printed  in  1472,  by  Vindelin,  a  well 
known  printer  of  Venice,  though  not  so  famous  as  his 
brother,  John  of  Spires.      Brunet  calls  this  an  "edition 
encore  precieuse"    A  folio,  bound  in  full  speckled  calf  by 
Pratt,  can  hardly  fail  to  attract  the  eye  of  a  thorough  going 
book-lover.    It  is  very  tall,  with  ample  margins,  and  the 
paper  is  but  slightly  bored,  the  volume  being  in  well-nigh 
faultless  condition.    It  is  Eusebius'  Prceparatio  Evangelica, 
at  the  end  of  which  is  the  date,  and  a  name  as  follows : 
"M.CCCC.LXXUI.,  Leonhardus  Aurl."    Who  Aurl  was, 
seems  to  be  a  mystery.    Because  the  type  resemble  those 
of  an  edition  of  Cicero's  Orations  printed  in  1472  by  Adam 
de  Ambergau,  Dibdin  concludes  that  this  also  was  the  work 
of  that  famous  printer,  and  that  Aurl  was  either  an  editor 
or  a  corrector  of  the  press.     On  the  other  hand,  Brunet 
thinks  that  Leonhardus  Aurl  was  the  printer,  and  must 
have   succeeded   Ambergau.      Whoever  Aurl  may  have 
been,  however,  and  whoever  may  have  printed  the  book,  it 
is  certain  that  it  is  a  very  rare  edition  of  the  translation  of 
this  celebrated  Greek  work.    The  crowning  typographical 
rarity  of  this  collection  is  a  folio  bound  in  dark  morocco  by 
Charles  Lewis,  blind  tooled  all  over  the  covers  after  an  old 
English  pattern,  and  in  exact  facsimile  of  an  early  Caxton 
binding.     It  is  the  Itcgerttia  attrra,  and,  according  to  the 

Colophon,  was  jFtnusslieti  tlje  xxbtt.  tiage  of  August,  fyt 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


127 


gere  of  our  lorti*  JSLcccccjcxbtu  ti}e  xtx*  gere  of  tlje  regne  of 
our  soueragne  lorDe  kgnge  gents  ft*  egght  SmprgnteU  at 
ILontion  tn  jHete  strete  at  tfje  gggne  of  tfje  Sonne,  fcg  SlEgn^ 
fcgn  tie  TOortie*  The  upper  and  lower  margins  of  the  title, 
and  a  portion  of  the  margins  of  signature  A,  have  been 
restored  by  Mr.  Lewis :  in  every  other  respect  the  volume 
is  in  the  finest  state  of  preservation.  The  extreme  rarity  of 
this  book  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  Dibdin  and 
Lowndes,  together,  refer  to  but  four  perfect  copies,  one  of 
which  is  in  the  British  Museum.  There  is  no  copy  of  this 
edition  either  in  the  Spencer,  or  in  the  Grenville  collection. 

One  of  the  latest,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  val- 
uable additions  to  this  library,  are  the  first  four  folios  of 
Shakespeare.  For  these  fine  volumes  a  former  owner,  Mr. 
Eugene  N.  Robinson,  of  New  York,  paid  considerably  more 
than  five  thousand  dollars  ;  upwards  of  one  thousand  dollars 
having  been  expended  in  putting  them  into  their  present 
superb  dress  by  Bedford.  The  first  and  third  folios  came 
from  the  library  of  Sir  William  Tite,  at  the  sale  of  which 
the  first  brought  four  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  The 
following  note  is  written  on  the  fly  leaf  of  the  third  folio  : — 
"  This  copy  of  the  third  (and  very  rare)  edition  of  our  great 
dramatic  Poet,  formerly  belonged  to  John  Kemble,  Esq., 
and  was  purchased  by  me  at  the  sale  of  his  books  in 
1820-21,  for  the  sum  of  eight  guineas,  it  then  wanting  the 

16 


128 


MR.   COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


portrait,  which  I  have  since  supplied. — E.  V.  U"  (tterson). 
"May.  1821."  For  a  city  comparatively  small,  Providence 
is  very  fortunate  in  the  possession  of  two  copies  of  the  first 
four  folios  of  Shakespeare ;  for  we  shall  find  reference  to 
another  copy  in  the  sketch  of  Mr.  C.  Fiske  Harris1  library, 
later  on  in  this  volume.* 

There  are  many,  very  many  illustrated  works  in  this 
collection,  not  a  few  of  which  are  of  a  high  character.  In 
huge  folios  are  Boydell's  Shakespeare;  the  nine  volumes  of 
Lord  Kingsborough's  Antiquities  of  Mexico,  with  colored 
plates ;  and  the  great  French  work  on  Egypt,  forming,  as  it 


*The  increase  in  price  of  the  Shake- 
speare folios  is  quite  remarkable.  Stee- 
vens  s.ays  the  first  folio,  that  of  1623,  was 
published  at  one  pound,  a  sum  repre- 
senting, of  course,  several  times  the  value 
of  the  present  day,  Grant  White  giving  it 
at  twenty-five  dollars.  Martin  Folkes' 
copy  brought  £3. 3s.  at  his  sale  in  1756 ;  and 
another  copy  sold  for  £10  at  Dr.  Richard 
Wright's  sale,  in  1787.  The  Duke  of  Rox- 
burghe  paid  £35. 14s.  for  his,  in  1790 ;  and 
at  his  sale,  in  1812,  it  was  knocked  down  to 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  for  £100.  In  1818, 
Mr.  Grenville  bought  a  copy  for  £121. 16s., 
and  this  was  recorded,  at  that  time,  as 
"the  highest  ever  given,  or  likely  to  be 
given,  for  the  volume."  The  successive 
prices  paid  for  Hibbert's  copy  were  as  fol- 
lows :  £85,  in  1829,  £155,  in  1847,  and  £250,  in 
1854.  It  is  now  in  Henry  Huth's  library, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  England  at 
the  present  day.    In  1865,  the  Earl  of 


Charlemont's  copy  brought  £455;  and,  in 
1874,  Sir  William  Tite's  copy,  as  stated  in 
the  text,  sold  for  £440.  But  all  these 
prices  have  been  largely  exceeded.  In 
1827,  Dent's  copy  was  sold  for  £110.  5s.;  and 
at  the  Perkins  sale,  in  1873,  the  same  copy 
brought  £585.  The  price  paid  at  the  Dan- 
iel sale,  in  1864,  is  the  highest  ever  yet 
obtained  for  this  folio,  for  it  was  bid  off, 
for  Miss  Burdett-Coutts,  at  £716.  Condi- 
tion, of  course,  has  great  effect  upon  the 
price.  In  1876,  Quaritch,  a  London  book- 
seller, advertised  a  copy  as,  fine,  but 
"  title  doubtful,"  in  Bedford's  binding,  at 
£200. 

The  second  folio,  that  of  1632,  as  well  as 
the  subsequent  ones,  is  much  less  costly 
than  the  first.  In  1678  it  brought  16s. :  the 
Perkins  copy,  in  1873,  sold  for  £44;  and 
the  "best  copy  known"  brought  at  the 
Daniel  sale,  in  1864,  £148,  the  highest  price 
ever  paid  for  it. 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB BAR Y. 


129 


does,  a  fitting  monument  to  the  greatness  of  the  first  Napo- 
leon. Here,  too,  are  numerous  Galleries  of  engravings,  and 
books  lavishly  illustrated  with  inserted  plates.  The  fact 
that  many  of  the  latter  came  from  the  Menzies  library,  and 
some  from  John  Allans,  amply  attests  the  taste  and  elegance 
of  their  execution.  Grainger's  Biographical  History  of 
England  is  extended  by  the  insertion  of  ten  hundred  and 
forty  plates,  to  ten  volumes.  An  uncut  copy  of  "The  Hud- 
son from  the  Wilderness  to  the  Sea,"  by  B.  J.  Lossing, 
contains  three  hundred  and  six  extra  wood-cuts  and  one 
hundred  and  forty  plates,  which  swell  the  original  volume 
to  two.  It  is  vain,  however,  to  attempt  to  enumerate  the 
elegant  books  in  this  branch  of  Mr.  Cooke's  collection,  and 
we  shall  therefore  content  ourselves  with  mention  of  a 
single  work  more.  Mr.  Cooke's  uncut  set  of  the  Abbots- 
ford  edition  of  the  Waverley  Novels  came  from  the  Menzies 


Of  the  third  folio  there  are  two  issues, 
the  first  in  1063,  and  the  second  in  1664.  In 
1678,  a  1663  issue  sold  for  £1.  8s.  A  very- 
excellent  1664,  brought  £46  at  the  Daniel 
sale,  in  1864.  The  Perkins  copy  (1664) 
brought  £105,  in  1873;  and  the  Tite  copy 
(1664)  £79,  in  1874.  But  the  highest  price 
obtained  for  the  third  folio  was  in  1870, 
when  a  rare  copy  of  1664,  which  had 
cost  its  owner  £42,  was  sold  at  Sotheby's 
for  £200. 

The  fourth,  that  of  1685,  is  the  least 
costly  of  the  four  folios.  In  1786  a  copy 
sold  for  8s.  6d.    In  1874  a  copy,  formerly 


John  Allan's,  sold  in  New  York  for  $40. 
The  Daniel  copy  brought  £21. 10s.  in  1864; 
the  Perkins  copy  £22  in  1873;  the  Sir  Wil- 
liam Tite  copy  £18  in  1864;  and  the  Benzon 
copy  £23.  5s.  in  1875.  The  highest  price 
we  have  found  recorded  for  this  folio,  is 
£37  for  a  copy  sold  by  Lilly. 

The  reader  interested  in  this  subject,  is 
referred  to  Professor  Justin  Winsor's 
admirable  Bibliography  of  the  original 
Quartos  and  Folios  of  Shakespeare,  pub- 
lished in  1876,  from  which  this  foot  note 
has  been  almost  entirely  taken. 


130 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


sale  at  a  cost  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  dollars,  and  con- 
sists of  the  twenty-four  parts  as  originally  issued,  bound  in 
as  many  volumes  in  half  green  crushed  Levant  morocco  by 
Matthews.  The  series  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  plates, 
published  with  the  work,  are  most  brilliant  unlettered 
artist's  proofs  on  India  paper,  one  of  a  few  sets  only,  struck 
off  for  presents  previous  to  publication.  Inserted  are  nearly 
three  hundred  and  fifty  additional  illustrations,  consisting 
of  portraits,  subjects,  and  views,  of  the  choicest  character, 
being  proofs  before  letters,  and  proofs  on  India  paper.  Six 
beautiful  portraits  of  Scott,  and  an  autograph  note  of  his, 
are  also  inserted.  This  is,  doubtless,  one  of  the  finest 
copies  of  the  Waverley  Novels  in  existence. 

Turnbull's  Birds  of  East  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey, 
privately  printed,  elaborately  illustrated,  and  one  of  two 
copies  only,  on  thirty-four  leaves  of  pure  vellum,  is  a  truly 
choice  volume.  The  other  copy  on  vellum  was  sold  at  the 
Menzies  sale  to  Mr.  Brayton  Ives,  of  New  York* 

The  department  of  bibliography  is  fine,  and  so  too  are 


*This  gentleman's  library  is  choice  in 
English  literature,  and  possesses  a  num- 
ber of  fine  French  works.  It  likewise 
contains  divers  nuggets  on  America— as 
Mr.  Henry  Stevens  would  say— and  not  a 
few  specimens  of  tasteful  illustration  and 
elegant  book-making.  His  collection  was 
enriched  by  some  admirable  additions 
from  the  Menzies  sale,  the  most  notewor- 


thy of  which  is  Fyssher's  "  Treatyse  con- 
cernynge  the  fruytful  saynges  of  Dauid 
the  kynge  and  prophete  in  the  seuen 
penytencyall  psalmes,"  &c,  printed  by 
Wynkyn  de  Worde  in  1509. 

When  an  adequate  volume  appears  upon 
the  private  libraries  of  New  York  as  they 
are  to-day,  it  will  certainly  contain  some 
notice  of  the  collection  of  Mr.  Ives. 


MR.    COOKE'S  LIBRARY. 


131 


many  other  departments ;  but  it  is  believed  that  enough  has 
already  been  said  to  impress  the  reader  with  some  apprecia- 
tion of  the  extent  and  value  of  this  library.  As  the  author 
despairs  of  making  this  sketch  less  inadequate,  he  will 
bring  it  to  a  close. 

The  rapidity  with  which  Mr.  Cooke  has  gathered  his 
volumes  together,  has  awakened  much  interest,  and  some 
speculation,  as  to  how  he  will  ultimately  dispose  of  them. 

To  any  one  possessing  fine  books  who  has  not  deter- 
mined what  disposition  to  make  of  them,  we  would  com- 
mend this  passage  from  Petrarch's  letter  to  the  Venetian 
Senate,  offering  his  library  to  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Mark : — 
"Francis  Petrarch,"  he  writes  in  1362,  "desires  to  have 
the  blessed  Evangelist  Mark  for  the  heir  of  those  books  he 
has,  and  may  have,  on  condition  that  they  shall  neither  be 
sold  or  separated ;  and  that  they  shall  all  be  placed  in 
safety,  sheltered  from  fire  and  water,  and  preserved  with 
care  forever  for  his  honour,  and  the  use  and  amusement  of 
the  noble  and  learned  persons  of  this  city.  If  he  makes 
this  deposit,  it  is  not  because  he  has  a  great  idea  of  his 
books,  or  believes  he  has  formed  a  fine  library ;  but  he 
hopes  by  this  means  the  illustrious  city  of  Venice  will 
acquire  other  trusts  of  the  same  kind  from  the  public ;  that 
the  citizens  who  love  their  country,  the  nobles  above  all, 
and  even  some  strangers,  will  follow  his  example,  and  leave 


132 


MB.    COOKE'S  LIB  BABY. 


their  books  to  this  church  at  their  death,  which  may  one 
day  become  a  great  library,  and  equal  those  of  the  ancients. 
Every  one  must  see  how  honourable  this  will  be  to  the 
republic." 


HON.  JOHN   R.   B  ART  LETT'S 
LIBRARY. 


HOE".  JOHN  E.  BABTLETT'S  LIBEAEY. 


Every  part  of  learning  is  of  some  use. 

Madox. 

An  English  writer  tells  us — "Libraries  are  the  ward- 
robes of  literature,  whence  men,  properly  informed,  might 
bring  forth  something  for  ornament,  much  for  curiosity, 
and  more  for  use."  This  remark  is  especially  applicable  to 
the  library  about  to  be  described.  The  fact  that  Mr. 
Bartlett  is  a  maker  of  books  himself,  invests  his  collection 
of  the  books  of  others,  with  an  added  interest.  A  glance 
along  his  shelves  reveals  the  lines  of  research  he  delights  to 
follow,  and  at  once  opens  up  to  the  observer  the  literary 
character  of  the  man.  His  is  essentially  a  working  library. 
To  understand,  however,  that,  by  the  use  of  this  term,  is 
implied  a  lack  of  choice  editions  or  of  fine  bindings,  would 
be  a  gross  misapprehension.  By  it  is  meant,  simply,  that 
the  books  of  this  collection  are,  to  a  large  extent,  his  tools, 


136 


MB.  BARTLETT'S  LIBRARY. 


so  to  speak,  and  not  merely  the  recreation  of  his  leisure 
hours.  Mr.  Bartlett,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  Mexi- 
can Boundary  Commissioner  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  and 
his  interesting  "Report"  of  his  doings,  and  his  44  Personal 
Narrative  of  Explorations,"  &c,  must  be  familiar  to  many 
of  the  readers  of  this  sketch.  Of  course  such  extensive 
travels  over  so  wide  a  range  of  our  continent,  and  the  con- 
sequent contact  with  so  many,  and  such  various  tribes  of 
the  aborigines,  developed  more  fully,  tastes,  the  original 
possession  of  which  admirably  fitted  him  for  the  position  he 
so  satisfactorily  filled.  In  1848,  Mr.  Bartlett  published  a 
book,  entitled  44  The  Progress  of  Ethnology,  An  Account 
of  Recent  Archaeological,  Philological,  and  Geographical 
Researches  in  various  parts  of  the  globe,  tending  to  eluci- 
date the  Physical  History  of  Man." 

One  is  not  surprised,  therefore,  at  finding  in  Mr. 
Bartlett's  library,  which  contains  upwards  of  three  thousand 
volumes,  and  a  great  many  pamphlets,  a  large  collection  of 
Geographical  works,  including  voyages  and  travels.  A 
fine  copy  of  44  Hakluytus  Posthumus,  or  Purchas,  His  Pil- 
grimes,"  printed  in  London  in  1625-6,  in  five  folio  volumes, 
and  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  in  forty 
octavos,  are  especially  worthy  of  notice.  Upon  Africa  are 
all  the  travels  of  the  present  century,  as  well  as  some 
earlier  works,  including  Leo  Africanus,  printed  in  1600.  in 


MR.  BARTLETT'S  LIBRARY. 


137 


folio.  This  early  account  of  Africa  contains  a  map,  on 
which  is  laid  down  the  two  great  lakes  claimed  to  have 
been  discovered  by  Capt.  Speke  in  1862,  thus  demonstrat- 
ing, it  would  seem,  that  they  were  known  to  the  Arabian 
geographers  of  the  middle  ages.  There  is  likewise  deline- 
ated on  this  map  a  great  river  called  the  Zaire,  flowing 
from  a  lake  near  the  equator,  westward  to  the  Atlantic, 
and  occupying  the  place  of  the  Congo  River,  which  Stanley, 
in  his  remarkable  journey,  has  lately  traced  to  the  sea. 

The  far  off  countries  of  the  old  world,  and  the  civili- 
zations of  a  dim  and  distant  past,  are  all  described  here. 
Upon  Egypt  are  the  works  of  Bunsen,  Wilkinson, 
Osburn,  Sharp,  and  Champollion,  with  numerous  others 
relating  to  Egyptian  antiquity.  The  royal  city  of  Nine- 
veh, which,  Rawlinson  tells  us,  Sennacherib  made  "  as 
splendid  as  the  sun,"  finds  an  adequate  representation 
in  the  elegant  work  of  Botta  and  Elandin,  published  by 
the  French  government  in  five  atlas  folios,  containing  seve- 
ral hundred  plates,  and  showing  the  results  of  French 
explorations.  The  magnificence  of  this  famous  Assyrian 
city,  with  that  of  its  Southern  rival,  Babylon,  is  still  further 
delineated  in  Layard's  Explorations  of  Nineveh  and  Baby- 
lon, in  two  folio  volumes  of  plates,  as  also  in  a  number  of 
less  pretentious  works. 

Greece,  Rome,  Etruria,  Pompeii,  Herculaneum,  and 

17 


138 


3IB.  BABTLETT'S  LIB  BABY. 


Asia  Minor,  are  well  represented  in  books  containing  the 
most  recent  researches  among  their  ancient  remains.  Upon 
Eastern  Asia  are  likewise  some  important  works;  prominent 
among  which  is  a  complete  set  of  the  Canton  Register,  in 
twenty  octavo  volumes,  a  work  which  is  seldom  seen  entire, 
and  which  is  said  to  contain  fuller  notices  of  China,  and  the 
countries  adjacent,  than  are  elsewhere  to  be  found. 

Neither  the  tropics,  nor  the  regions  of  the  old  world, 
nor  a  remote  antiquity,  circumscribe  the  travels  described 
in  this  collection,  for  here,  also,  are  to  be  found  numerous 
Arctic  explorations,  comprising  a  collection  of  all  the  voy- 
ages for  the  discovery  of  a  North-West  passage,  and  for 
reaching  the  North  Pole,  embracing  the  works  of  Phipps, 
Hearne,  Parry,  Ross,  Franklin,  Back,  and  Beechey,  in 
Admiralty  editions,  uniformly  bound,  together  with  many 
of  less  importance,  in  octavo. 

In  this  library  are  a  number  of  "Picturesque  Voyages" 
in  all  parts  of  Europe, —  books  elegantly  gotten  up  in  folio, 
with  hundreds  of  copper-plate  engravings  representing  the 
scenery  and  antiquities  of  the  countries  referred  to.  These 
immense  folios  seem  to  have  been  very  popular  fifty  or  a 
hundred  years  ago,  when  wealth  lavished  itself  on  huge 
tomes  and  costly  copper-plates.  In  our  day  a  work  is 
issued  in  a  couple  of  quartos,  or  octavos,  copiously  illus- 
trated with  wood-cuts,  for  from  six  to  twelve  dollars  a  set, 


MR.  BARTLETT'S  LIBRARY. 


139 


that  formerly  would  have  been  brought  out  in  five  ponder- 
ous folios,  with  expensive  copper-plates,  at  a  cost  of  from 
one  to  two  hundred  dollars.  Perhaps  Porson's  reason  for 
disliking  folios  may  have  also  aided  their  increasing  unpop- 
ularity. "  He  disliked  reading  folios,"  it  is  related  in  Por- 
soniana,  "'because'  said  he,  4  we  meet  with  so  few  mile 
stones'  (i.  e.  we  have  such  long  intervals  between  the  turn- 
ing over  of  the  leaves)." 

From  Geographical  subjects  to  Ethnology  is  but  a 
step  ;  and  here,  besides  the  Anthropological  Journal  and 
Memoirs,  in  fifteen  volumes,  are  the  works  of  the  chief 
writers  who  have  made  the  subject  of  pre-historic  man  so 
interesting  of  late  years  —  Prichard,  Lyell,  Wilson,  Lub- 
bock, Kemble,  Nilsson,  Keller,  Lartet  and  Christy,  Fergus- 
son,  Tylor,  Wood,  Stevens,  and  Vogt.  Watson  and  Kaye's 
fine  work  on  44  The  People  of  India,"  which  fills  several  folio 
volumes,  and  contains  photographic  portraits  from  life  of 
the  various  races  and  numerous  tribes  which  make  up  the 
two  hundred  millions  of  the  population  of  Hindostan, 
shows  that  interest  in  that  wonderful  people  does  not  flag 
in  our  day. 

Passing  on  to  the  kindred  branch  of  Archaeology,  the 
works  in  it  are  legion.  A  fine  set  of  the  44  Arch  apologia," 
or  publications  of  the  Antiquarian  Society  in  London,  in 
forty-two  quartos,  meets  the  eye,  as  also  do  Gough's  Sepul- 


MR.   BARTLETT'S  LIBRARY. 


cliral  Monuments  in  Great  Britain,  in  three  volumes, 
Vetusta  Monumenta,  or  Ancient  Monuments  of  Great 
Britain,  in  six  volumes,  Douglas'  Nenia  Britannica,  or  a 
Sepulchral  History  of  Britain,  but  chiefly  relating  to  the 
Britons,  Romans,  and  Saxons,  on  large  paper  with  colored 
plates,  Roy's  Military  Antiquities,  Grose's  Antiquities,  on 
large  paper  in  ten  volumes,  Warren's  Monuments  and 
Tumuli  of  Remote  Ages,  and  Stephens'  splendid  work  on 
the  Runic  Monuments  of  Scandinavia  and  England,  in  two 
volumes,  all  in  folio,  and  Bruce's  Roman  Wall,  in  quarto. 
The  above  mentioned  works  relate  chiefly  to  Great  Britain, 
but  there  are  numerous  volumes  upon  the  antiquities  of 
other  countries,  embracing  some  of  the  choicest,  and  many 
of  the  latest  works  upon  the  subject.  Before  passing  to 
another  branch,  however,  one  observes  that  Mr.  Bartlett's 
strength  in  the  publications  of  learned  societies  is  again 
exemplified  in  his  possession  of  "  The  Transactions  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  Literature,"  in  fifteen  quarto  and  octavo 
volumes,  a  work  devoted  to  Archaeological  and  Philological 
subjects. 

Another  branch  of  the  vast  department  already  so 
largely  dwelt  upon,  is  Philology  and  Lexicography ;  and 
here,  of  course,  the  compiler  of  the  i;  Dictionary  of  Ameri- 
canisms "  is  very  rich.  Ranged  upon  his  shelves  are  dic- 
tionaries from  Barrett's  quaint  and  rare  old  folio  "  Alvearie," 


MB.   BARTLETT' S  LIBBABY. 


141 


printed  in  London  in  1580,  to  Dr.  Latham's  recent  edition 
of  Johnson,  in  four  quartos.  A  curious  old  work  in  this 
line  is  Hollyband's  Dictionary,  issued  in  London  in  1593. 
Provincial  glossaries  of  England  likewise  abound.  A 
famous  English  author  says, — "  Now  and  then  a  word  with 
the  American  impress  comes  over  to  us  which  has  not  been 
struck  in  the  mint  of  analogy.  But  the  Americans  are 
more  likely  to  be  infected  by  the  corruption  of  our  written 
language  than  we  are  to  have  it  debased  by  any  importations 
of  this  kind  from  them."  The  following  bit  of  information 
furnishes  a  significant  illustration  of  this :  Mr.  Bartlett  told 
the  author  that  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  various 
works  on  English  Provincialisms,  he  rejected  from  subse- 
quent editions  over  eight  hundred  words  found  in  the  first 
edition  of  his  book,  as  they  were  ascertained  to  be  in  use  in 
different  parts  of  England,  and  were,  therefore,  in  no  sense, 
Americanisms. 

The  scholarly  tastes  of  Mr.  Bartlett  are  further  indi- 
cated by  his  group  of  works  on  Homer,  and  the  Trojan 
question.  A  beautiful  large  paper  copy  of  Du  Roveray's 
edition  of  Pope's  Translation  of  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey,  in 
twelve  octavo  volumes,  the  plates  being  proofs  before 
letters  on  India  paper,  as  well  as  a  number  of  other  edi- 
tions of  Homer,  and  numerous  essays  and  commentaries 
upon  the  old  bard,  together  with  the  chief  works  on  the 


142 


MB.   BABTLETT'S  LIBBABY. 


Plain  of  Troy,  belong  to  this  interesting  cluster.  For  more 
than  two  thousand  years,  from  Strabo  in  the  first  century, 
B.  C,  to  the  recent  researches  of  Dr.  Schliemann,  the  Plain 
of  Troy  has  occupied  the  attention  of  scholars.  Indeed, 
this  interest  ante-dates  the  time  of  Strabo  by  centuries,  for 
Herodotus  tells  us, — 44  On  reaching  the  Scamander,  .  .  . 
Xerxes  ascended  into  the  Pergamus  of  Priam,  since  he  had 
a  longing  to  behold  the  place.  When  he  had  seen  every- 
thing, and  inquired  into  all  particulars,  he  made  an  offering 
of  a  thousand  oxen  to  the  Trojan  Minerva,  while  the  Magi- 
ans  poured  libations  to  the  heroes  who  were  slain  at  Troy." 
Among  some  of  the  works  upon  the  Plain  of  Troy  noticed 
in  this  collection,  are  those  of  Bryant,  Rennell,  Mauduit, 
Choiseul-Goufher,  Clarke,  Lechevalier,  Maclaren,  and  last, 
but  not  least,  Sir  William  Gell's  Topography  of  Troy,  a 
beautiful  folio  with  forty-five  maps  and  colored  plates. 

One  would  expect  to  find  the  compiler  of  the  44  Litera- 
ture of  the  Rebellion"  possessing  much  relating  to  the  war, 
especially  as  he  himself  has  written  upon  that  eventful 
struggle.  This  expectation  is  not  disappointed,  for  here  is 
one  of  the  largest  collections  of  books  and  pamphlets  relat- 
ing to  our  late  civil  war,  to  be  found  in  the  country.  The 
scrap-book  feature  is  a  very  noticeable  one.  In  September, 
1860,  when  the  uneasiness  of  the  South  manifested  itself  in 
meetings  preparatory  to  secession,  Mr.  Bartlett  began  to 


MB.   BABTLE  TT'S  LIB  BAB  Y. 


143 


clip  and  collect  from  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  all  per- 
taining to  the  conflict  then  impending,  and  so  soon  to  break 
upon  the  country.  This  labor  he  continued  until  peace 
was  restored,  neatly  pasting  the  slips  into  folio  volumes  of 
uniform  size,  and  properly  classifying  the  subjects  as  he 
proceeded.  The  operations  of  each  month  are  contained  in 
a  separate  volume,  the  whole  work  extending  to  sixty-five 
volumes.  Of  these  the  Annals,  or  History,  comprise  fifty- 
four  volumes  ;  Caricatures,  three  ;  Fugitive  Poetry,  embrac- 
ing more  than  two  thousand  pieces,  two  ;  Envelopes,  one ; 
Street  Ballads,  two  ;  and  large  engravings  of  Battle  Scenes, 
three  volumes.  This  Scrap-Book  series  should  find  a  place 
in  a  public  library,  as  it  is  a  rich  granary  of  historical  mate- 
rial that  should  be  accessible  to  all. 

Thus  far  solidity  has  characterized  the  works  described, 
but  volumes  of  a  lighter  character  grace  Mr.  Bartlett's 
shelves,  for  he  too  has  gone  into  the  elegantice  literarum  of 
illustrating  books  with  engravings  not  issued  with  them. 
Among  these  are  Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,  extended 
to  ten  stout  quartos  ;  the  two  Lives  of  Mary,  Queen  of 
Scots,  one  by  Chalmers,  and  the  other  the  new  Life,  by 
Petit,  each  in  two  quarto  volumes,  and  both  elaborately 
embellished,  and  embracing  more  than  forty  different  por- 
traits of  the  unfortunate  Mary.  It  is  a  little  difficult  to 
make  a  selection  from  the  books  of  this  class  for  enumera- 


144 


3IB.   BABTLETT'S  LIBBABY. 


tion.  Perhaps  as  good  as  any  of  these  choice  nuggets  are 
Bryan's  Dictionary  of  Painters,  the  quarto  edition  extended 
to  ten  volumes,  with  its  two  thousand  inserted  portraits  of 
painters,  and  specimens  of  their  works;  Parton's  Life  of 
Franklin,  in  four  imperial  octavos ;  Wiffen's  Memoirs  of  the 
House  of  Russell,  with  nearly  two  hundred  portraits ; 
Drake's  Dictionary  of  American  Biography,  copiously  illus- 
trated, and  extended  to  seven  volumes  ;  and  Mr.  Bartlett's 
own  "  Memoirs  of  Rhode  Island  Officers,"  extended  to  two 
bulky  quartos,  and  enriched  with  two  hundred  engrav- 
ings— portraits  of  those  officers,  and  views  of  battles  in 
which  they  had  borne  a  part.  We  must  mention  one  more 
book  of  this  class  —  Albert  Gallatin's  "Peace  with  Mexico," 
published  by  Mr.  Bartlett  in  1847,  when  connected  with 
the  well  known  house  of  Bartlett  &  Welford.  Elegantly 
bound  in  green  morocco  with  the  pamphlet,  are  a  large 
number  of  Mr.  Gallatin's  letters  to  Mr.  Bartlett  upon  the 
work  in  hand.  Also  in  the  same  volume  are  the  letters  of 
numerous  distinguished  men  to  Mr.  Gallatin,  or  Mr.  Bart- 
lett, upon  the  book,  or  its  subject ;  and  likewise  bound  with 
them  are  many  newspaper  clippings  neatly  pasted  on  to 
blank  leaves.  The  whole  forms  a  rich  mass  of  manuscript, 
and  other  material,  and,  it  is  presumed,  furnished  Mr. 
Bartlett  with  much  matter  for  his  interesting  "Reminis- 
cences of  Albert  Gallatin,"  published  in  1849.    The  private 


MB.   BABTLETT'S  LIB  BABY. 


145 


libraries  of  Providence  are  remarkable  for  this  costly  spe- 
cialty of  illustrated  books,  nearly  all  the  considerable  collec- 
tions having  a  number  of  elegant  volumes  of  this  character. 

Illuminated  missals  on  vellum,  executed  before  the 
invention  of  printing,  must  not  be  overlooked.  The  zeal 
and  the  piety  of  the  monks,  who  were  the  scholars  of  those 
days,  led  them  to  lavish  much  time  and  skill  upon  their 
work  ;  and  not  only  are  these  pious  books  elegantly  written 
upon  vellum,  but  they  are  also  usually  elaborately  embel- 
lished with  gilt,  or  more  properly,  gold  ornaments,  highly 
colored  borders,  and  exquisite  miniature  paintings  repre- 
senting scenes  in  the  life  of  our  Saviour,  and  other  events 
in  sacred  history.  As  they  are  ordinarily  without  date,  the 
peculiarities  of  language,  of  calligraphy,  and  of  ornamenta- 
tion, enable  experts  to  determine  their  age.  Mr.  Bartlett 
has  six  missals,  which  were,  doubtless,  produced  between 
a.  d.  1200  and  1400. 

The  number  of  presentation  copies  in  this  collection 
with  the  autograph  or  book-plate  of  the  author,  or  of  other 
distinguished  men,  is  quite  remarkable.  Such  associations 
add  much  to  the  value  of  a  volume,  exhaling  a  delightful 
atmosphere  of  fancy,  even  approaching  sometimes  to  inspi- 
ration. Let  him  who  is  about  to  cut  out  or  obliterate  a 
name,  or  otherwise  deface  a  book,  pause  and  recall  these 
words  of  Southey :  —  "A  book  is  the  more  valuable  to  me 

18 


146 


MR.  BARTLETT'S  LIBRARY. 


when  I  know  to  whom  it  has  belonged,  and  through  what 

'scenes  and  changes'  it  has  past  I  am  sorry 

when  I  see  the  name  of  a  former  owner  obliterated  in  a 
book,  or  the  plate  of  his  arms  defaced.  Poor  memorials 
though  they  be,  yet  they  are  something  saved  for  awhile 
from  oblivion ;  and  I  should  be  almost  as  unwilling  to 
destroy  them,  as  to  efface  the  Hie  jacet  of  a  tombstone. 
There  may  be  sometimes  a  pleasure  in  recognizing  them, 
sometimes  a  salutary  sadness." 


MR.  ROYAL  C.  TAFT'S 
LIBRARY. 


MR.  ROYAL  0.  TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 

Hark  you,  sir;  I'll  have  them  very  fairly  bound. 

Taming  of  the  Shrew. 

One  of  the  masters  of  our  language  says  —  "Books  are 
among  the  sweetest  luxuries  of  our  world."  Nowhere  in 
this  vicinity  is  the  luxuriousness  of  books  more  strikingly 
illustrated  than  in  Mr.  Taft's  collection,  and  the  rooms  con- 
taining it  are  in  harmony  with  the  condition  of  his  volumes. 
A  spacious  apartment,  whose  deep  bay  window  overlooks 
the  College  campus,  forms  the  principal  library,  while  an 
arch  through  a  book-case  leads  into  a  smaller  one.  The 
ornamentation  of  the  cases  is  elaborate,  and  the  centre  of 
one  of  them  forms  a  niche,  in  which  stands  a  bronze  figure 
suggestive  of  a  presiding  genius.  The  oil  paintings  above 
the  dwarf-cases  flanking  the  open  fire-place,  and  the  attract- 
ive bindings  of  the  books  exposed  to  view  through  ornate 
glass  doors,  give  to  the  library  an  air  of  grace  and  elegance. 


150 


Mil.  B.   C.   TAFT'S  LIB  BABY. 


These  books  are  distinguished  for  their  perfectness. 
All  that  the  skill  of  the  printer,  the  art  of  the  engraver,  or 
the  handy-work  of  the  binder  can  do,  has  been  done  for  the 
three  thousand  volumes  comprising  this  library.  It  may  be 
well  to  save  repetition  by  saying  at  once,  that  these  books 
have,  for  the  most  part,  been  shorn  of  none  of  their  fair 
proportions  by  a  book-guillotine,  as  a  trimming  machine 
ought  properly  to  be  called,  and  that  they  are,  with  scarce 
an  exception,  attired  in  full  crushed  morocco,  or  in  plain, 
tree,  polished,  speckled,  mottled,  or  wrinkled  calf,  elegantly 
tooled,  by  Bedford,  Riviere,  and  by  the  other  masters  of  the 
art. 

English  literature  is  the  predominant  feature.  The 
grand  old  masters  of  our  language,  and  the  approved 
authors  of  more  recent  times,  are  here  presented  in  a  man- 
ner to  make  them  things  of  beauty  in  more  senses  than  one. 
As  illustrations  of  the  meaning  of  our  remarks  upon  the 
condition  of  these  volumes,  mention  may  be  made  of  a  large 
paper  set  of  the  Riverside  edition  of  Francis  Bacon's  works, 
one  of  five*  printed  on  India  paper;  also  of  a  remarkably 

*  Inserted  in  each  of  these  copies  is  the  Henry  Oscar  Houghton, 

following  certificate:   " I  hereby  certify  George  Livermore, 

that  only  five  sets  of  the  large  paper  edi-  Orlando  W.  Wight.  " 

tion  of  the  Works  of  Francis  Bacon  were        July,  1863. 

printed  upon  India  paper.  They  were  for  H.  O.  HOUGHTON." 

the  following  persons: 

William  Fiske  Fowle, 

Zelotes  Hosmer, 


Mr.  Taft's  copy  is  the  one  printed  for 
Henry  Oscar  Houghton. 


MB.  B.   C.   TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 


151 


choice  copy  of  Pickering's  imperial  octavo  edition  of  Wal- 
ton's Complete  Angler,  1836,  with  duplicate  plates,  one 
set  being  India  proofs.  Mr.  Taft  is  evidently  an  admirer  of 
honest  old  Izaak,  for  he  likewise  possesses  the  first  five 
editions  of  "The  Compleat  Angler,"  bound  in  attractive 
uniformity,  and  published  respectively  in  1653,  1655,  1661, 
1668,  and  1676.  Each  issue  is  enlarged,  compared  with 
the  preceding  one,  and  the  fifth  is  the  first  edition  contain- 
ing the  second  part,  or  Cotton's  Angler.  This  valuable 
little  series — the  size  being  sixteenmo — is  rarer  than  the 
first  four  folios  of  Shakespeare,  and  is  especially  prized 
from  comprising  the  editions  published  in  Walton's  life- 
time, thus  showing  the  growth  of  his  remarkable  work. 
Walton's  Lives,  the  first  edition  published  in  1670,  forms  a 
meet  companion  of  this  series.  Mr.  Taft's  copy  possesses 
an  added  interest  from  having  this  presentation  inscription 
in  the  author's  own  hand — "for  my  brother  Chalkhill.  Iz. 
Wa."  This  would  seem  to  authoritatively  set  at  rest  the 
doubts  entertained  in  the  Retrospective  Review  and  in  the 
Gentleman's  Magazine  as  to  whether  there  really  was  such 
a  person  as  John  Chalkhill,  thus  settling  the  authorship  of 
the  poems  attributed  to  him,  but  which  some  believe  to 
have  been  written  by  Walton.  The  words  traced  by  the 
author's  own  hand  in  this  volume  especially  call  to  mind 
the  lines  of  Wordsworth  upon  this  work : — 


152 


3IR.  R.  C.   TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 


— "The  feather,  whence  the  pen 
Was  shaped  that  traced  the  lives  of  these  good  men, 
Dropped  from  an  Angel's  wing." 

Books  on  large  paper,  and  with  proof  impressions  of 
the  plates,  are  very  numerous  here.  The  twenty-four  vol- 
umes of  Sharpe's  British  Essayists  are  on  large  paper,  and 
so  are  the  two  volumes  each  of  Stockdale's  editions  of  1793, 
of  iEsop's  Fables,  and  of  Gay's  Fables :  both  of  the  latter 
have  proof  impressions  of  the  plates.  Four  of  the  best 
editions  of  the  Waverley  Novels  extant  attest  this  collector's 
appreciation  of  the  great  novelist :  one  of  them,  the  first 
collected  Edinburgh  edition,  1822-33,  in  forty-one  vol- 
umes, contains  numerous  inserted  illustrations.  Mr.  Taft's 
copy  of  the  Percy  Society's  Publications  is  in  thirty-one 
volumes,  or  one  more  than  is  usually  found  in  the  set. 
The  last  volume  contains  "  Pleasant  Quippes  for  Upstart 
Newfangled  Gentlewomen,"  by  Stephen  Gosson,  and  "A 
Treatyse  shewing  and  declaring  the  Pryde  and  Abuse  of 
Women  now  a  dayes,"  by  Charles  Bansley,  reprinted  from  a 
unique  copy.  The  Pleasant  Quippes  was  suppressed,  and 
the  Pryde  and  Abuse  of  Women  was  never  issued :  the 
freedom  of  the  authors  in  treating  these  subjects  will 
readily  suggest  the  reason. 

It  seems  to  be  the  fashion  now-a-days,  to  belittle  Dr. 
Dibdin,  and  to  speak  lightly  of  his  books.  Notwithstand- 


MB.  B.  C.   TAFT'S  LIB  BABY.  153 

ing  this  lack  of  appreciation  by  some,  and  conceding  to 
the  utmost  his  manifold  defects,  still  Mr.  Taft's  choice  set 
of  Dibdin's  works  with  their  rich  crimson  crushed  morocco 
binding,  would  sorely  tempt  us,  were  we  given  our  choice 
of  the  literary  purple  and  fine  linen  gathered  together  here. 

A  truly  sumptuous  volume  is  a  quarto  printed  on  vel- 
lum, whose  sixty-one  engravings  are  richly  colored  by  hand. 
It  is  entitled  "Choice  Examples  of  Art  Workmanship 
selected  from  the  Exhibition  of  Ancient  and  Mediaeval  Art 
at  the  Society  of  Arts.  Drawn  and  Engraved  under  the 
superintendence  of  Philip  de  la  Motte."  It  was  gotten  up 
in  London  for  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851,  and  its  superb 
brown  crushed  morocco  binding  by  Riviere,  deserves  a  word 
of  notice.  It  is  in  Diana  of  Poictiers  style,  and  upon  the 
covers  various  colored  leathers  are  inlaid,  while  elaborate 
hand-tooled  devices  represent  Diana's  favorite  emblems. 
The  crescent,  the  bow,  and  the  quiver,  are  conspicuous,  and 
the  initials  of  her  name  and  that  of  her  royal  lover,  are 
gracefully  intertwined.  Another  book  that  attracts  the  eye, 
is  one  of  the  twenty-five  large  paper  copies  of  "The  History 
of  The  Valiant  Knight,  Arthur  of  Little  Britain,"  a  romance 
of  chivalry  translated  from  the  French  by  John  Bourchier, 
Lord  Berners,  and  edited  by  E.  V.  Utterson,  London,  1814. 
It  has  a  duplicate  set  of  plates,  one  of  which  is  plain,  and 
the  other  brilliantly  illuminated  by  Harris,  the  noted  fac- 


154 


MB.  B.   C.  TAFT'S  LIB  BABY. 


similist,  wherein  the  knights  and  ladies  of  the  olden  time 
figure  in  a  richness  of  apparel  that  is  dazzling  to  the  mod- 
ern eye. 

Some  of  the  illustrated  books  are  specially  noteworthy. 
The  large  folio  plates  of  Le  Musee  Royal,  and  of  Finden's 
Royal  Gallery  of  British  Art,  are  proofs  before  letters. 
Two  folio  volumes  of  proof  impressions  of  the  Landscape 
Annual,  1830  to  1839,  seem  to  spread  Switzerland,  Italy  ? 
France,  Spain,  and  Portugal,  at  our  feet.  Of  folios  with 
splendid  engravings  are  Bowyer's  edition  of  Hume's  Eng- 
land in  ten  volumes,  Boydell's  Shakespeare  in  nine  volumes, 
and  Boydell's  magnificent  edition  of  the  Poetical  Works  of 
Milton,  with  plates  by  Westall.  By  many  this  last  work  is 
thought  to  be  the  finest  production  of  the  famous  Bulmer 
press,  so  highly  lauded  by  Dibdin. 

Of  smaller  books  are  Holbein's  Triomphe  de  la  Mort, 
issued  at  Basle  in  1780,  with  proof  impressions;  and 
Marryat's  History  of  Pottery  and  Porcelain  in  the  Fif- 
teenth, Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Centuries.  This  latter 
volume  is  upon  large  paper;  the  plates  are  colored  in  a 
superior  manner  and  mounted  on  drawing  paper,  only 
twenty-five  copies  having  been  issued  in  this  style.  There 
are  a  number  of  fine  works  in  this  library  on  the  ceramic 
art;  but,  fine  as  some  of  them  are,  it  seems  to  us  that 
Audsley  and  Bowes'  recent  work,  "  Keramic  Art  of  Japan," 


MB.  B.   C.    TAFT'S  LIB  BAB  Y. 


155 


surpasses  them  all.  Enriched  with  illustrations  of  rare 
beauty,  with  prints  in  colors  and  gold,  it  is,  and  will  doubt- 
less ever  remain,  a  very  expensive  book.  Though  it  has 
just  been  published  there  are  very  few  copies  in  this 
country. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  of  all  the  attractive  works 
in  this  collection,  is  a  copy  of  Foster's  translation  of  the 
Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments.  It  is  in  five  quarto  vol- 
umes on  large  paper,  with  Smirke's  illustrations  in  proof; 
and  it  is  still  further  embellished  with  a  number  of  inserted 
prints.  This  gem  came  from  David  Roberts'*  library,  and 
was  Smirke's  own  copy,  having  been  made  up  by  the  artist 
himself. 

The  book  lover  upon  crossing  Mr.  Taft's  threshold,  will 
be  impressed  with  his  love  for  Stothard.  Upon  entering 
the  hall  the  first  object  to  greet  the  eye  is  a  fine  engraved 
portrait  of  the  great  designer,  and  a  little  further  on  are 
capital  India  proofs  of  the  Canterbury  Pilgrims,  and  the 
Flitch  of  Bacon,  the  largest  size.  Passing  into  the  library 
one  sees  several  of  this  artist's  water  colors  framed  and 
hanging  on  the  walls.  Upon  the  shelves  are  numerous 
India  ink  sketches  and  more  than  a  thousand  plates  by 
him :  they  are  either  loose  or  scattered  through  various  vol- 
umes, though  many  of  them  are  to  be  found  in  two  copies 
of  Mrs.  Bray's  Life  of  Stothard :  one  of  these  copies  is 

19 


156  MB.  B.   C.   TAFT'S  library. 

inlaid  to  folio  size,  and  both  are  elaborately  extended  by 
insertions.  In  the  collection  of  one  possessing  such  an 
admiration  for  Stothard,  the  poetical  works  of  Rogers 
would,  of  course,  be  found  in  great  perfection.  More  dainty 
copies  of  Rogers'  Italy  than  two  upon  these  shelves,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find.  The  illustrations  of  both  are  proofs 
before  letter,  and  one  of  them  has  a  number  of  inserted 
engravings.  These  copies  are  of  the  few  in  which  the 
prints  immediately  preceding  and  following  the  little  poem 
called  Arqua,  are  transposed,  Petrarch's  house  being  placed 
before,  and  his  tomb  after  it,  instead  of  vice  versa,  as  was 
intended.  A  few  impresssions  were  worked  off  before  the 
error  was  corrected.  The  bindings  of  these  elegant  books, 
as  would  be  imagined,  are  worthy  of  their  contents.  The 
copies  of  Rogers'  Poems  with  proof  impressions,  are  also 
very  choice.  Mention  of  a  copy  of  Rogers'  Pleasures  of 
Memory  with  other  Poems,  edition  of  1801,  likewise  with 
proof  plates,  should  not  be  omitted.  It  was  a  presentation 
copy  from  the  poet  to  Robert  Balmanno,  and  contains  two 
of  the  author's  autograph  notes. 

Here  also  are  Pine's  Horace  and  Pine's  Virgil,  of 
which  Carlyle,  in  his  Frederick  the  Great,  discourses  in 
this  wise  : — "  Did  modern  readers  ever  hear  of  4  John  Pine, 
the  celebrated  English  engraver]'  John  Pine,  a  man  of 
good  scholarship,  good  skill  with  his  burin,  did  'Tapestries 


MR.  R.   C.    TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 


157 


of  the  House  of  Lords,'  and  other  things  of  a  celebrated 
nature,  famous  at  home  and  abroad ;  but  his  peculiar  feat, 
which  had  commended  him  at  Reinsberg,  was  an  edition  of 
Horace :  exquisite  old  Flaccus  brought  to  perfection  as  it 
were  ;  all  done  with  vignettes,  classical  borderings,  symbolic 
marginal  ornaments,  in  fine  taste  and  accuracy,  the  Text 
itself  engraved,  and  all  by  the  exquisite  burin  of  Pine. 
This  edition  had  come  out  last  year,  famous  over  the  world, 
and  was  by-and-by,  as  rumor  bore,  to  be  followed  by  a  Vir- 
gil done  in  the  like  exquisite  manner." 

Pictorial  Galleries  and  other  illustrated  works  are 
numerous.  Of  books  elaborately  illustrated  with  inserted 
plates  are  Byron's  English  Bards  and  Scotch  Reviewers,  the 
first  American  edition  published  in  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, inlaid  to  folio  size  ;  Leslie's  Life  of  Constable,  in  folio  ; 
Knight's  History  of  England,  the  first  edition ;  and  Petit's 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  De  Flandre's  translation,  extended 
from  two  to  four  volumes.  This  last  work,  for  one  so 
recently  issued,  seems  to  be  a  favorite  for  illustration  in 
this  locality,  there  being  several  voluminously  extended 
copies  in  Providence.  But  by  far  the  choicest  work  here 
of  this  class,  is  Crabb  Robinson's  Diary.  The  three  vol- 
umes of  the  fine  English  edition  have  been  stretched  out  to 
nine  by  the  insertion  of  over  eight  hundred  plates,  many  of 
them  rare,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  proofs.  The 


\ 


158  MR.  B.   C.    TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 

well-nigh  boundless  capacity  of  this  work  for  illustration, 
seems  to  have  been,  in  a  measure,  demonstrated  by  the  zeal 
of  this  collector,  for  had  he  been  less  fastidious  as  to  the 
impressions  of  the  plates,  he  could  have  added  very  largely 
to  the  number  of  volumes.  The  whole,  bound  in  full  crim- 
son crushed  morocco,  makes  a  truly  elegant  set. 

Large  paper  copies  of  Yarrell's  British  Birds,  and  of 
Bewick's  works,  must  serve  as  examples  of  the  numerous 
fine  wood-cuts  in  this  collection. 

The  lives  of  artists,  as  well  as  their  works  and  the  liter- 
ature of  art,  have  been  studiously  gathered  here  in  many 
choice  and  costly  works. 

"  The  veriest  ordinary  copies  will  serve  me,"  writes 
Burns  in  commissioning  some  novels  of  Fielding  and 
Smollett,  from  Hill  of  Edinburgh,  "I  am  nice  only  in  the 
appearance  of  my  poets."  A  portion  of  Burns'  sentence 
will  apply  to  Mr.  Taft,  who,  certainly,  is  very  nice  in  the 
appearance  of  his  poets.  On  his  shelves  one  finds  a  fine 
copy  of  Dodsley's  Old  Plays,  half  a  dozen  of  the  best  edi- 
tions of  Shakespeare,  and  the  works  of  numerous  old  dram- 
atists in  the  very  best  garb  possible.  Here  too  are  the  one 
hundred  and  thirty  volumes,  on  large  paper,  of  Little  & 
Brown's  edition  of  the  British  Poets,  and  Pickering's  Aldine 
edition  in  fifty-three  volumes.  There  are  also  many  other 
editions  of  various  poets,  some  of  them  dainty,  and  all 


31R.  B.   C.    TAFT'S  LIBRAE  Y. 


159 


elegant.  The  long  row  of  Coleridge's  works  in  prose  and 
verse,  and  of  Coleridgiana  containing  some  of  the  poet's 
autograph  letters  *  calls  to  mind  this  enthusiastic  outburst 
in  regard  to  poetry,  which,  it  is  hoped,  can  be  applied  by 
many  readers  of  this  sketch  with  equal  truth,  though,  it  may 
be,  in  a  much  humbler  way.  "  Poetry,"  says  Coleridge, 
"  has  been  to  me  its  own  exceeding  great  reward ;  it  has 
soothed  my  afflictions ;  it  has  multiplied  and  refined  my 
enjoyments  ;  it  has  endeared  solitude  ;  and  it  has  given  me 
the  habit  of  wishing  to  discern  the  good  and  the  beautiful 
in  all  that  meets  and  surrounds  me." 

The  book  before  all  others,  however,  in  this  depart- 
ment that  excites  our  admiration,  is  an  uncut  quarto  in 


*The  following  autograph  letter  of  Cole- 
ridge in  this  libraiy,  addressed  to  "G. 
Mud  ford,  Esq.,  Courier  office,"  is  not  with- 
out interest  :— 

'•Dear  Sir. 

I  scarcely  remember  being  more  anx- 
ious from  mere  personal  feeling,  to  see 
any  one  than  yourself.  The  excellent  X 
men,  who  are  now  calling  on  you  in  order 
to  have  a  curious  mistake  corrected,  with 
regard  to  the  attestation  of  a  gentleman, 
by  the  name  of  Symmonds,  a  Surgeon 
highly  esteemed  at  Manchester,  will,  I  am 
sure,  receive  every  courtesy  from  you. 
Thank  God,  the  cause  they  have  been 
deputed  to  watch  over,  is  likely  to  be  vic- 
torious—and what  I  want  to  impress  on 


the  friends  of  government,  and  good  Eng- 
lish anti- Jacobinical,  anti-physiocratic 
government,  is  the  manifest  effect  pro- 
duced  on  the  lower  classes,  in  overthrow 
of  Jacobinism  in  their  very  hearts. 
But  I  have  much  to  say  to  you,  for  I 
regard  every  Courier,  as  a  part  of  your 
conversation,  as  if  we  were  personally 
present. 

Be  assured  that 

You  possess  the  esteem  and  regard 
of  your  humble  fellow-labourer  in 
the  same  general  cause. 

S.  T.  COLERIDGE. 
Wednesday  Morning, 
6  May,  1818. 

X  Mr.  Gould,  and  Mr.  Shelmerdine." 


160 


MR.  R.   C.   TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 


boards.  It  is  the  first  edition  of  "The  White  Doe  of  Kyl- 
stone,"  by  Wordsworth.  It  contains  several  emendations 
of  the  text  in  the  author's  own  writing,  evidently  prepara- 
tory to  a  new  edition  ;  and  the  changes  in  some  instances 
extend  to  a  whole  line.  Upon  a  blank  leaf  is  written  in 
Wordsworth's  autograph — "  Charles  Lamb  from  Wm. 
Wordsworth,"  and  directly  beneath,  in  the  neat  characters 
of  Lamb — "  From  C.  L.  to  E.  W.," — the  book  having  been 
presented  by  Lamb  to  Edwin  White,  a  fellow  clerk  of  his 
in  the  India  House.  In  looking  at  this  volume,  one  feels, 
almost,  as  if  he  were  being  introduced  to  Wordsworth  and 
Lamb,  for,  as  Southey  says  in  speaking  of  the  authors  and 
annotators  of  books,  "  you  are  brought  into  a  more  personal 
relation  with  them  when  you  see  the  page  upon  which  you 
know  that  their  eyes  have  rested,  and  the  very  characters 
which  their  hands  have  traced." 

"  England's  Helicon,"  "  A  hundredth  good  points  of 
husbandrie,  set  forth  by  Thomas  Tusser,  Gentleman,"  and 
"The  Paradise  of  Uayntie  Devises,"  all  reprints  by  Sir  Eger- 
ton  Brydges,  are  specially  interesting.  These  two  volumes 
belonged  to  Joseph  Haslewood,  who  asisted  Sir  Egerton 
Brydges  in  editing  them,  and  he  has  enriched  them  with  a 
multitude  of  manuscript  notes,  printed  copies  of  rare 
poems,  some  of  them  on  vellum,  and  several  autograph 


MR.  R.   C.    TAFT'S  LIBRARY. 


161 


letters,  among  them  one  from  George  Steevens,  and  one 
from  Henry  Ellis. 

Mr.  Taft's  love  of  the  beautiful  is  clearly  indicated  by 
his  appreciation  of  flowers,  and  on  entering  the  library  one 
is  impressed  with  the  fullness  and  richness  of  its  botanical 
department.  Here  are  several  hundred  of  the  most  elegant 
and  expensive  works  on  botany  extant :  they  are  profusely 
illustrated  with  colored  engravings,  some  of  them  colored 
by  hand.  This  department  is  specially  strong  in  books 
relating  to  orchids,  or  orchidaceous  plants.  Surely  he 
whose  enthusiasm  for  flowers  and  botany  could  lead  him  to 
make  such  a  collection,  can  truly  say  with  the  poet, — 

"Your  voiceless  lips,  O  flowers,  are  living  preachers, 
Each  cup  a  pulpit, —  every  leaf  a  book, 
Supplying  to  my  fancy  numerous  teachers, 
From  loneliest  nook." 

The  books  in  this  library  would  clearly  not  have 
answered  for  Dr.  Johnson,  who  had  a  ragged  regiment  for 
general  use,  and  who  tossed  well  bound  volumes  about  with 
savage  carelessness.  He  even  complained,  when  he  bor- 
rowed a  book  from  Steevens,  that  it  was  too  well  bound. 
On  the  other  hand,  Gibbon,  the  historian,  was  very  particu- 
lar about  his  books,  and  the  rich  bindings  and  choice  edi- 
tions of  this  collection  would  have  gladdened  his  eyes  and 
delighted  his  heart.     If  Charles  Lamb  had  loaned  such 


162 


MB.  B.    C.    TAFT'IS  LIB  BABY. 


books  as  these  to  Coleridge  we  doubt  if  that  inveterate  bor- 
rower would  have  had  the  heart  to  write  upon  their  fair 
margins,  so  as  to  have  rendered  such  a  deprecatory  message 
as  this  necessary: — "I  shall  die  soon,  my  dear  Charles 
Lamb,  and  then  you  will  not  be  vexed  that  I  have  be-scrib- 
bled  your  book.    S.  T.  C.    2d  May,  1811." 

It  is  pleasant  to  find  a  man  actively  engaged  in  large 
and  successful  enterprises,  who  can  turn  aside  from  manu- 
factures and  trade,  to  indulge  in  the  quiet  pleasures  of  lite- 
rature. Whether  one's  business  is  the  acquisition  of  power 
or  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  he  who  neglects  all  resources 
for  hours  of  recreation,  will,  sooner  or  later,  learn  his  error 
with  bitter  regret.  This  passage  from  the  third  volume  of 
Prescott's  Charles  the  Fifth,  referring  to  that  monarch  after 
his  abdication  from  the  throne,  and  his  retirement  to  the 
monastery  of  Yuste,  will  illustrate  our  meaning: — "  Charles 
had  brought  but  a  meagre  array  of  books  to  adorn  his 
shelves  at  Yuste.  He  was  never  a  great  reader.  His  life 
had  been  too  busy  to  allow  the  leisure  for  it.  It  was  his 
misfortune  in  his  youth  not  to  have  acquired  a  fondness  for 
books, — that  best  source  of  enjoyment  in  prosperity,  as  it  is 
the  unfailing  solace  in  the  hour  of  trouble." 


ME.  ALEXANDER  EARNUM'S 
LIBRARY. 


MR.  ALEXANDER  FARNUM'S  LIBRARY. 


—  Well  read  in  poetry, 
And  other  books,— good  ones,  I  warrant  ye. 

Taming  of  the  Shrew. 

We  have  somewhere  read  the  story  of  an  old  Koman, 
who  expended  vast  sums  in  purchasing  a  household  of 
learned  slaves.  He  wished  to  have  the  best  poets  and  the 
best  historians  in  living  editions.  One  servant  recited  the 
whole  of  the  Iliad  :  another  chanted  the  Odes  of  Pindar : 
every  standard  author  had  its  living  representative.  The 
library  of  Mr.  Farnum  reminds  one  of  the  household  of  the 
Koman,  though  happily  the  mortal  edition  of  the  ancient  is 
replaced  by  the  immortal  offspring  of  the  genius  of  Guten- 
berg. They  certainly  resemble  each  other  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  best  poets  and  historians  in  the  best  editions, 
and  in  every  standard  author  having  a  representative. 

This  attractive  collection  contains  about  four  thousand 
five  hundred  volumes,  and  is  largely  composed  of  classical 

20 


166 


ME.  FABNU3PS  LIB  BABY. 


English  literature,  wherein  it  is  unsurpassed  in  this  vicinity. 
Among  its  strong  points  are  the  drama,  emhracing  the 
major  and  minor  dramatists  from  Shakespeare  down,  the 
British  poets,  general  history,  bibliography,  antiquarian 
works,  especially  of  the  Elizabethan  age,  literary  history, 
and  books  on  the  fine  arts.  Wood  engraving  has  some 
particularly  fine  representatives.  Every  book  in  the 
library,  almost  without  exception,  is  the  very  best  edition 
ever  issued,  in  whatever  form  that  may  be  ;  and  of  works  of 
an  important  character,  of  which  several  approved  editions 
exist,  the  best  are  usually  to  be  found  among  its  treasures. 
For  example,  there  are  about  twenty  editions  of  Shake- 
speare, from  Halliwell's  folio  to  Pickering's  diminutive  Dia- 
mond. Milton  is  also  represented  in  several  of  the  choicest 
editions,  from  that  of  John  Baskerville  to  that  of  William 
Pickering.  When  we  say  best  editions,  we  do  not  always 
mean  the  most  rare  and  costly,  like  the  first  four  folios  of 
Shakespeare,  or  the  original  issues  of  Milton ;  but  we  apply 
the  term  to  the  most  choice  and  elegant  editions  for  critical 
use,  as  indicated  by  the  examples  we  have  given.  Some  of 
the  books  are  most  daintily  gotten  up,  and  about  eight  hun- 
dred volumes  are  large  paper  copies  and  limited  editions. 
In  one  case  only  five  copies  were  issued  of  a  work  in  the 
style  of  the  copy  in  Mr.  Farnum's  possession ;  of  another 
but  twelve ;  of  several  others  twenty-five,  fifty,  and  so  on, 
the  case  may  be. 


MB.  FABXU3PS  LIB  BABY. 


167 


To  cull  out  some  of  the  choicest  specimens  of  this 
library  will  be  our  endeavor ;  though,  in  attempting  to  do 
so,  one  feels  like  saying  with  the  aged  Dryden, — "Thoughts 
come  crowding  in  so  fast  upon  me  that  the  only  difficulty  is 
to  choose  or  to  reject." 

Mr.  Farnum's  copy  of  Dibdin's  bibliographical  works, 
of  which  some  of  the  volumes  are  unique,  is,  unquestion- 
ably, one  of  the  finest  in  existence.    With  the  exception  of 
the  Spenceriana,  and  Althorpianae,  all  the  important  vol- 
umes are  on  large  paper.    The  copy  of  the  Typographical 
Antiquities  (one  of  sixty-six  printed  on  large  paper),  is 
uncut,  and  bound  in  half  vellum;  while  uniform  with  it  are 
two  volumes  deserving  special  mention.    One  of  these  vol- 
umes comprises  the  first  six  signatures  of  the  Typographical 
Antiquities  printed  on  vellum,  and  intended  for  the  Earl 
Spencer,  Dibdin's  patron.     These  signatures  belonged  to 
William  Savage,  the  printer,  and,  according  to  the  title- 
page,  formed  "  The  only  portion,  and  only  copy  that  was 
printed  on  vellum."    Though  Dibdin's  excuse  for  not  com- 
pleting the  copy  was  the  difficulty  in  working  on  vellum, 
yet  we  suspect  that  the  real  reason  was  the  expense.  In 
the  early  stages  of  the  undertaking,  as  appears  by  a  note  in 
Mr.  Farnum's  possession,  Dibdin  wrote  to  Savage  as  fol- 
lows :— "  I  am  much  pleased  with  what  you  have  sent  me  : 
the  vellum  has  a  glorious  look,  and,  if  you  exert  all  the 


168 


MB.  FAB1S!  UJSP  S  LIB  BABY. 


talent  which  appears  in  the  specimen,  we  shall  make  a 
magnificent  book  of  the  vellum  copy."  In  a  subsequent 
note  to  Savage,  likewise  in  Mr.  Farnum's  possession,  he 
wrote  : — "I  give  up  the  vellum  copy  not  from  a  supposition 
of  your  want  of  skill  to  execute  it,  but  from  various  causes 
which  I  will  state  hereafter.  We  shall  now  go  on  more 
smoothly."  Long  after  he  had  abandoned  the  copy  he 
referred  to  these  signatures  in  a  foot-note  to  his  Biblioma- 
nia, more  harshly,  it  seems  to  us,  than  the  truth  justified  ; 
for,  notwithstanding  what  he  had  written  to  Savage,  he 
spoke  of  them  as  follows: — "The  censure  which  is  here 
thrown  out  upon  others  reaches  my  own  doors :  for  I 
attempted  to  execute  a  single  copy  of  my  Typographical 
Antiquities  upon  vellum,  with  every  possible  attention  to 
printing  and  to  the  material  upon  which  it  was  to  be  exe- 
cuted. But  I  failed  in  every  point ;  and  this  single 
wretched  looking  book,  had  I  persevered  in  executing  my 
design,  would  have  cost  me  about  seventy-five  guineas!"* 


*  Another  of  Dibdin's  autograph  letters 
in  Mr.  Farnum's  possession,  is  interesting 
because  of  the  references  in  it  to  his  own 
works,  and  especially  to  his  Reminiscen- 
ces of  a  Literary  Life,  then  about  to  be 
published.  It  is  addressed  to  Ithuriel 
Towne  of  New  York,  who  had  paid  sixty 
guineas  for  an  illustrated  Bibliomania, 
alluded  to  in  a  foot-note  to  the  first  vol- 
ume of  the  Reminiscences,  and  which  sold 


for  $720  at  the  John  Allan  sale  in  1864. 
The  letter  is  as  follows  :— 

"7  Wyndham  St., 

Bryanston  Sqr., 
April  3,  1835. 

Dear  Sir: 

I  beg  you  to  accept  my  very  best  thanks 
for  all  the  kind  and  all  the  honourable 
testimonies  contained  in  your  letter  of 


MB.   FABNU3PS  LIB  BABY. 


169 


Mr.  Farnum's  Dibdin  comprises  forty-six  volumes. 
His  large  paper  copy  of  Reminiscences  of  a  Literary  Life 
contains  the  rare  Index,  likewise  on  large  paper,  notwith- 
standing the  statement  in  the  Hosmer  Catalogue  that  it  was 
44  only  printed  on  small  paper."  f  One  of  Mr.  Farnum's 
copies  of  the  Tour  in  France  and  Germany,  the  second  edi- 


February  last,  in  favor  of  my  humble 
lucubrations.  That  they  have  afforded 
you  a  rational  gratification,  is  matter  of 
sincere  pleasure  to  their  author. 

Will  you,  however,  forgive  my  remark- 
ing that  you  ai-e  much  behind  hand  in  your 
number  of  the  volumes  which  have  issued 
from  the  same  prolific  pen  ?  But  to  that 
gallantry  of  spirit  which  hesitates  not  to 
sacrifice  60  guineas  for  an  illustrated  copy 
of  the  Bibliomania  upon  large  paper, 
everything  is  obtainable.  Go  on,  dear 
Sir,  and  put  the  finishing  stroke  to  your 
spirit  of  courageous  enterprise.  Possess 
the  Decameron  (the  most  beautiful,  as  Mr. 
Adlard  will  tell  you,  of  all  bibliographical 
books),  the  Tour,  the  Spencer  Library, 
and  above  all,  for  utility,  the  Library  Com- 
panion. As  to  the  small  rarer  pieces  I  will 
confer  with  your  honest  agent,  Mr.  Evans, 
and,  together,  we  must  get  them  at  rea- 
sonable prices.  The  Typographical  Antiq- 
uities in  4  vols,  is  reasonable  and  com- 
mon —  as  an  unfinished  work. 

I  transmit  you  a  notice  of  a  new  work  — 
in  which  you  will  observe  your  name  to 
be  down  — from  authority;  but  I  will  be 
frank  and  tell  you,  that  1  have  reserved  for 
you  a  large  paper  copy  — £10,  10  — subject 
to  your  rejection  or  possession.  'Twill  be 


an  immensely  scarce  work;  and  perhaps 
my  last  performance. 

And  now  allow  me  to  thank  you,  which 
I  do  very  sincerely,  for  the  splendid  and 
acceptable  present  of  the  proofs  of  your 
countrymen's  skill  in  the  art  of  engraving. 
The  specimens  are  most  creditable  to 
them.  In  return  as  soon  as  the  "Kemi- 
niscences" are  published,  in  September, 
I  will  send  you  a  copy  of  my  Lent  Lect- 
ures on  large  paper,  of  which  I  shall  beg 
your  acceptance. 

Your  country  is  a  young  country  but  the 
infant  is  Hercules.  Farewell  dear  Sir, 
and  accept  the  assurance  of  my  respect 
and  esteem. 

Very  much  and  truly, 

T.  F.  DIBDIN." 

t  The  Catalogue  of  the  Library  of  Zelotes 
Hosmer,  prepared  for  the  sale  which  took 
place  in  1861,  contained  this  note  to  a 
large  paper  copy  of  Dibdin's  Reminiscen- 
ces of  a  Literary  Life,  (Lot  No.  301): 
♦'Containing  the  Index,  very  rare,  and 
only  printed  on  small  paper.  This  is 
inlaid  and  bound  with  the  large  paper 
copy;  also  a  long  letter  to  Dawson  Tur- 
ner, whose  copy  this  was." 


170 


MB.  FABXU3PS  LIB  BABY. 


tion,  published  in  three  volumes,  has  been  extended  to 
eight  by  inserted  illustrations,  amongst  which  are  a  remark- 
able number  of  rare  portraits  and  curious  old  views  of 
places.  One  of  his  copies  of  the  Bibliographical  Decame- 
ron contains  the  ebony-spectacle  portrait  of  Tom  Payne,  of 
which  only  twenty-five  were  printed.  It  likewise  contains 
one  of  the  prints  of  Diana  of  Poictiers,  the  plate  having  been 
destroyed  after  seventy-five  impressions  had  been  taken  off. 
"I  learn,"  says  Dibdin  in  a  foot-note  to  his  Reminiscences, 
"that  3/.  13^.  6d.  has  been  given  for  a  single  impression  of 
this  most  original  and  fascinating  portrait."  But  by  far  the 
most  valuable  of  this  fine  set  of  Dibdin  is  a  unique  copy,  of 
which  we  have  not  yet  spoken.  Dibdin  projected  a  "  Dis- 
quisition on  Early  Engraving  and  Ornamental  Printing," 
and  though  he  never  got  so  far  as  the  actual  composition  of 
the  work,  still,  with  the  assistance  of  Savage,  the  printer, 
he  gathered  much  material  for  it  in  the  form  of  a  collection 
of  numerous  title-pages  of  early  printers  and  many  wood 
engravings.  Among  its  artistic  treasures  Germany  is  rep- 
resented by  Albert  Durer,  Hans  Burgkmair,  Lucas  Cranach, 
Hans  Schaeuflein,  Henry  Voghter,  James  Kobel,  Gabriel 
Schnellbotz,  Louis  Businck,  and  others  ;  Holland  and  the 
Low  Countries  by  John  Walther  van  Assen,  Henry 
Goltzius,  Abraham  Bloemaert,  Anthony  Sallaerts,  and  Chris- 
topher van  Sichem; — but  it  is  idle  to  attempt  to  enumerate 


MB.  FABNUM'S  LIB  BABY.  171 

the  artists  whose  cuts  Dibdin  had  gathered  together  for  the 
purpose  of  illustrating  his  work.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the 
collection  includes  cuts  of  many  of  the  most  famous  wood 
engravers  from  the  time  of  Albert  Durer  to  that  of  Thomas 
Bewick.  The  whole,  constituting  a  most  remarkable  collec- 
tion, are  mounted,  or  inlaid,  in  a  folio  volume.  This  inter- 
esting volume  has  been  inspected  by  various  engravers  of 
this  country,  and  has  awakened  much  interest.  It  is  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  the  rich  and  appreciative  collectors 
of  literary  rarities  in  England  allowed  it  to  cross  the 
Atlantic. 

Of  kindred  character  to  the  last  volume  is  another  col- 
lection of  wood-cuts  by  Durer,  Burgkmair,  and  many  other 
old  masters.  It  came  from  the  John  Allan  sale,  and  among 
its  stores  is  a  chiaro-scuro  engraving  on  wood,  less  than 
eleven  by  seven  inches  square,  of  which,  or  of  a  copy 
exactly  like  which,  Jackson  in  his  Treatise  on  Wood 
Engraving  thus  speaks  :  — 44 1  have,  however,  seen  one  Ger- 
man cut  executed  in  this  style,  with  the  date  1543,  which 
for  the  number  of  the  blocks  from  which  it  is  printed,  and 
the  delicacy  of  the  impression  in  certain  parts,  is,  if  genu- 
ine, one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  that  period  

The  subject  is  a  figure  of  Christ ;  in  his  left  hand  he  holds 
an  orb  emblematic  of  his  power,  while  the  right  is  elevated 
as  in  the  act  of  pronouncing  a  benediction  


172 


MR.  FARNUM'S  LIBRARY. 


The  drawing  of  the  figure  of  Christ  is  very  much  in  the 
style  of  Lucas  Cranach,  and  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  think 
that  the  original  painting  or  drawing  was  executed  by  him, 
whoever  may  have  been  the  engraver.  There  must  have 
been  at  least  ten  blocks  required  for  this  curious  print, 
which,  for  clearness  and  distinctness  in  the  colours,  and  for 
delicacy  of  impression,  more  especially  in  the  face,  may 
challenge  a  comparison  not  only  with  the  finest  chiaro- 
scuros of  former  times,  but  also  with  the  best  specimens  of 
colored  block-printing  of  the  present  day."  The  water 
mark  of  Mr.  Farnum's  print  contains  the  name  of  HOSER, 
but  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  trace  of  such  a  paper 
maker. 

In  the  bibliographical  department  of  this  library  are  to 
be  found  a  beautiful  copy  of  Brydge's  scarce  works  in 
twenty  volumes  ;  the  Manuals  of  Brunet,  and  of  Home,  on 
large  paper ;  the  Bibliotheca  Anglo  Poetica,  also  on  large 
paper,  and  extensively  illustrated  by  the  insertion  of  many 
rare  portraits ;  together  with  many  other  valuable  works. 

A  hap-hazard  selection  of  a  dozen  or  more  works  for 
mention  will,  at  least,  give  a  fair  illustration  of  this  collec- 
tion. The  Harleian  Miscellany,  in  ten  quartos,  is  from 
Rufus  Choate's  library,  bearing  his  autograph  on  a  fly  leaf : 
Somers'  Tracts  in  thirteen  volumes  is  uniform  with  it 
in  size.    The  first  twelve  volumes  of  the  Septimus  Prowett 


MB.   FARNUJSPS  LIB11AR Y. 


173 


edition  of  Dodsley's  Old  Plays  are  on  large  paper,  and  the 
thirteenth  has  been  stilted  to  match  *  Pickering's  Prayer 
Book,  in  seven  folios,  shows  all  the  changes  from  the 
Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI.,  to  the  present  time.  Aris- 
totle's Works  translated  by  Thomas  Taylor,  in  ten  quartos, 
forms,  according  to  Brunet,  the  only  uniform  edition  of 
Aristotle's  complete  works  in  any  language.  Ritson's 
antiquarian  works,  in  forty  volumes,  bound  in  tree  calf  by 
Riviere,  contains  all  the  cancelled  leaves  and  suppressed 
passages.  Yarreli's  Birds,  the  largest  size,  in  six  imperial 
octavos,  only  fifty  copies  of  that  size  having  been  issued, 
and  his  Fishes,  the  second  size,  are  full  of  beautiful  wood- 
cuts. Mr.  Farnum  was  one  of  the  original  sixteen  Ameri- 
can subscribers  to  Halliwell's  folio  Shakespeare,  illustrated 
by  Fairholt,  in  sixteen  volumes,  of  which  there  were  but 
one  hundred  and  fifty  copies  printed.    This  is  one  of  the 


*  It  is  vei'y  difficult  to  pick  up  a  perfect 
large  paper  copy  of  the  edition  of  Dods- 
ley's Old  Plays  in  twelve  volumes,  pub- 
lished by  Septimus  Prowett  in  1825-27, 
with  a  supplemental  volume  issued  by 
William  Pickering  in  1833.  One  reason  is 
that,  after  it  had  become  scarce,  extra 
sets  were  made  up,  as  far  as  possible, 
from  sheets  left  over,  lacking  signatures 
being  supplied  by  printing  new  ones, 
which  but  imperfectly  matched  the  origi- 
nal.  Another  reason  is  that  the  time  of 
issuing  the  set  stretched  over  several 
years.  Mr.  Farnum  in  making  up  his  set 
21 


collected  no  less  than  three  different 
copies  before  securing  a  perfect  one.  The 
writer  experienced  almost  as  much  diffi- 
culty in  making  up  an  uncut  copy  on 
small  paper.  This  edition  will  probably 
always  continue  to  be  highly  prized.  The 
edition  recently  issued,  and  edited  by 
Hazlitt,  will  scarcely  supplant  it  as  Mr. 
Hazlitt  has  omitted  some  plays  that  have 
recently  appeared  in  the  collected  works 
of  their  authors,  but  which  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Prowett  edition :  he  has  also 
added  some  plays  not  to  be  found  in 
Dodsley. 


174 


JIB.  FABNUM'S  LIB  BABY. 


best  specimens  of  printing  of  modern  times,  being  all 
worked  by  hand,  and  on  paper  which  is  superb.  Large 
paper  copies,  like  the  one  in  this  library,  of  Dr.  Grey's 
edition  of  Hudibras,  published  at  Cambridge  in  1744,  are, 
according  to  the  Bibliotheca  Anglo  Poetica,  of  rare  occur- 
rence ;  and  Dr.  Dibdin  says  only  twelve  were  issued  in  that 
style.*  The  copy  of  the  London  edition  of  Hudibras  here, 
published  in  1819,  contains  the  plates  engraved  for  the 
work  as  additional  illustrations ;  and  they  are  printed  in 
colors  in  a  very  remarkable  way,  and  are  very  elegant. 

There  are  works  of  marvellous  beauty  here,  containing 
specimens  of  illumination  and  decoration  of  the  middle 
ages.  Of  this  class  is  Silvestre's  Universal  Paleography,  or 
facsimiles  of  writing  of  all  nations  and  periods,  in  two 
elegant  folios. f  They  are  gorgeous  volumes,  and  have  the 
reputation  of  being  some  of  the  finest  books  ever  issued. 


*The  statement  in  the  text  is,  perhaps,  a 
little  too  unqualified.  Dibilin's  exact  lan- 
guage in  a  note  to  the  Library  Compan- 
ion in  regard  to  large  paper  copies  of 
Grey's  edition  of  Hudibras,  is  as  follows  :— 
"  On  large  paper,  it  is  said,  only  12  copies 
were  struck  off;  but  I  have  my  doubts  on 
this  head,  as  it  is  not  an  uncommon  book, 
and  100  copies  were  subscribed  for.  Do  I 
deceive  myself  in  the  supposition  that  I 
have  seen  more  than  a  dozen  of  copies? 
Be  that  as  it  may,  I  find  such  a  copy, 
bound  by  Roger  Payne  in  red  morocco, 


selling  for  lil.  14s.,  at  the  sale  of  Colonel 
Stanley's  library;  and  a  similar  one  — 
'very  fine  copy,  old  red  morocco,  borders 
of  gold,'  (inviting  description  !)  marked  at 
121. 12s.,  in  the  catalogue  of  Messrs.  Payne 
and  Foss.  It  may  be  necessary  to  state, 
that  the  plates  in  this  edition  are  from  the 
very  humorous  pencil  of  Hogarth,"— etc. 

tThe  two  smaller  volumes  of  text,  of 
course,  accompany  the  folio  illustrations. 


3IB.  FABNUM'S  LIB  BAB  Y. 


175 


Not  unlike  in  character  are  the  original  edition  of  Le  Moyen 
Age  by  Lacroix,  and  Shaw's  books  relating  to  the  middle 
ages  on  large  paper,  viz. :  Illuminated  Ornaments ;  Dresses 
and  Decorations ;  Decorative  Arts,  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil, 
etc.  The  attractiveness  of  this  style  of  works,  by  reproduc- 
ing the  ornamentation  of  even  old  books  alone,  whether  of 
letter  or  illustration,  can  well  be  understood  by  those  not 
familiar  with  them  by  the  following,  which  we  take  from 
an  English  writer,  who,  in  speaking  of  a  Gothic  story  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  "  before  the  press  vulgarized  won- 
ders," thus  describes  the  class  to  which  it  belonged: — 
"  The  scribe,  the  artist,  and  the  binder,  lavished  their  time 
and  skill.  Six  years  were  not  unfrequently  spent  upon  the 
internal  decorations.  The  margin,  in  the  place  of  canvas, 
was  enriched  with  portraits,  magnificent  dresses,  flowers 
and  fruits.  Letters  of  silver  shone  on  a  purple  ground. 
Golden  roses  studded  a  covering  of  crimson  velvet ;  the 
clasps  of  precious  metal,  richly  chased,  shut  up  the  adven- 
turous knights  and  the  radiant  damsels  in  their  splendid 
home." 

There  are  also  illustrated  books  in  profusion,  and  all 
superb.  Among  works  with  fine  plates  are  Lodge's  Por- 
traits, Houbraken's  Heads,  and  Woodburn's  Gallery  of 
Bare  Portraits,  all  in  folio ;  then  too,  there  is  an  original 
Hogarth  from  the  library  of  David  Roberts,  the  painter,  in 


176 


MB.   FABNU3PS  LIB  BAB  Y. 


elephant  folio  ;  and,  of  like  size,  Westwood's  Miniatures 
and  Ornaments  of  Anglo  Saxon  and  Irish  Manuscripts.  A 
collection  of  over  seventeen  hundred  plates  of  Bartolozzi, 
the  celebrated  Florentine  designer  and  engraver,  in  five 
elephant  folios,  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  testimonials 
to  this  artist's  genius  ever  formed.  Among  its  treasures 
are  numerous  engraver's  proofs,  comprising  several  series 
of  impressions  from  a  number  of  the  plates,  showing  the 
progress  of  the  artist's  work  from  the  etching  to  the 
finished  print. 

Books  illustrated  with  inserted  plates  are  likewise  to 
be  found  in  Mr.  Farnum's  library.  Of  this  character  are 
Irving's  Washington ;  Dunlap's  History  of  the  Rise  and 
Progress  of  the  Arts  of  Design  in  the  United  States, 
extended  from  two  to  four  volumes  ;  Rogers'  Pleasures  of 
Memory,  and  Cowper's  Task,  both  inlaid  to  quarto  size, 
magnificently  illustrated  with  many  proofs  and  autograph 
letters,  and  richly  bound ;  and  numerous  other  works. 
Eastlake's  Material  for  a  History  of  Oil  Painting,  besides 
its  inserted  illustrations,  contains  five  original  drawings  by 
Eastlake.  Four  of  them  are  in  colors,  being  copies  of 
frescoes  made  by  the  artist  during  his  travels  in  Italy :  the 
other  is  a  sheet  of  studies  in  pencil  and  pen  drawing. 
These  were  bought  at  a  sale  of  the  artist's  effects,  and  were 
guaranteed  by  Lady  Eastlake  to  be  the  work  of  her  hus- 
band. 


MB.  FABNUM'S  L1BBABY. 


177 


The  last  volume  we  shall  mention,  will  be  Byron's 
English  Bards  and  Scotch  Reviewers,  inlaid  to  folio  size. 
It  was  gotten  up  by  William  Upcott,  a  man  famous  in  Eng- 
land for  his  love  of  literary  rarities.  It  afterwards  belonged 
to  John  Allan  of  New  York,  likewise  noted  for  his  fine 
books,  and  by  him  it  was  considered  one  of  his  choicest 
gems.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  forty-five  inserted  por- 
traits, mostly  proofs,  and  numerous  landscape  plates. 
Besides  the  autographs  of  Lord  and  Lady  Byron,  the  Earl 
of  Carlisle,  Lord  Aberdeen,  Lady  Holland,  the  graceful 
mistress  of  Holland  House,  and  numerous  other  illustrious 
personages,  there  are  in  it  original  letters  of  Wordsworth, 
Lamb,  Sydney  Smith,  Fox,  Rogers,  Gifford,  R.  P.  Knight, 
Montgomery,  William  Cobbett,  William  Miller,  Richard 
Cumberland,  John  Murray,  the  senior,  Lord  Hervey, 
reporting  the  sale  of  his  South  Sea  stock,  the  Duke  of 
Portland,  and  others.  Charles  Lamb's  letter  to  Mr.  J. 
Oilier  contains  this  characteristic  sentence :  —  "It  is  enough 
once  for  all  to  assure  you,  that  I  never  could  succeed  in 
anything  proposed  to  me  to  do,  and  I  wont  strive  against 
my  poor  obstinate  grain."  It  concludes  equally  character- 
istically, thus:  —  "Yours  and  your  brother's,  C.  Lamb." 
No  wonder  its  respective  owners  have  regarded  this  book 
as  a  prize. 

That  Mr.  Farnum  is  an  extremely  careful  student  of 


178 


MB.  FABNUM'S  LIB  BABY. 


bibliography  the  collection,  of  which  we  have  given  so 
imperfect  a  sketch,  fully  attests.  Every  author,  ancient  or 
modern,  that  Mr.  Farnum  has  chosen  to  place  upon  his 
shelves,  has  been  placed  there  at  his  very  best.  In  his 
library,  bibliographically  speaking,  there  are  no  mistakes. 
We  think  we  may,  with  great  propriety,  apply  to  Mr.  Far- 
num's  knowledge  of  books  and  book-collecting,  as  well  as 
to  his  other  literary  attainments,  the  well  known  lines  of 
the  poet, — 

"What  the  child  admired, 
The  youth  endeavoured,  and  the  man  acquired.'1 


ME.  0.  FISKE  HARRIS1 
LIB  RAE  Y. 


MR.  C.  FISKE  HARRIS1  LIBRARY. 


We  love  the  page  that  draws  its  flavour 
From  Draftsman,  Etcher,  and  Engraver. 

BiBLIOSOPHIA. 

One's  first  impression  of  Mr.  Harris'  collection  brings 
to  mind  a  saying  about  De  Quincey  and  his  books.  De 
Quincey  disdained,  it  is  said,  to  have  his  books  on  shelves, 
as  we  usually  see  them  in  well  ordered  libraries,  but  he 
spread  them  about  promiscuously,  often  keeping  his 
choicest  volumes  in  the  family  wash-tub.  Go  where  you 
will  in  Mr.  Harris'  house,  you  will  find  books.  They  long 
ago  overflowed  the  library  proper :  they  have  colonized  in 
the  parlor  in  ornate  dwarf-cases  ;  while  up-stairs  they  have 
made  a  bolder  stand.  On  the  second  floor  high  cases 
extend  around  three  sides  of  a  large  room,  a  spacious  closet 
out  of  it  being  devoted  to  engravings.  The  third  story 
seems  quite  given  up  to  books,  as  several  rooms,  over-run 
with  them,  testify.     They  stand  upon  shelves :  they  are 


182 


MR.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


stacked  in  piles :  they  are  packed  in  trunks  and  boxes : 
they  are  shut  up  in  closets :  they  are  bundled  up  in  paper : 
they  are  huddled  on  the  floor.  More  than  eight  thou- 
sand volumes,  we  should  judge,  have  been  accommodated 
in  this  promiscuous  manner,  besides  a  host  of  pamphlets. 

The  engravings,  whether  bound  or  in  portfolios,  are 
exceptionally  fine.  A  few  are  framed  and  hang  upon  the 
walls,  but  the  bulk  are  in  portfolios  piled  together  on 
shelves  and  tables.  Trial  proofs  in  different  states  and 
early  impressions  abound.  The  old  masters  are  well  repre- 
sented by  choice  examples  of  Albert  Durer,  Rembrandt, 
and  others,  both  German  and  Italian  ;  but  the  strength  of 
the  collection  is  in  the  modern  school,  containing,  as  it 
does,  the  chefs  d'ceuvre  of  Miiller,  Toschi,  Raphael  Morghen, 
Longhi,  and  of  many  other  engravers  equally  famous.  One 
of  the  curiosities  of  this  part  of  the  collection  is  the  Order 
Book  for  Raphael  Morghen's  celebrated  print  of  4  The 
Transfiguration.'  It  is  a  record,  kept  in  the  engraver's  own 
hand,  of  the  names  of  the  original  subscribers  to  the  six 
hundred  numbered  impressions.  Among  them  a  single 
American  name  appears,  —  that  of  "Joseph  Allen  Smith  of 
Carolina  in  America."  Mr.  Harris'  copy  is  No.  3,  and  has, 
as  have  all  the  subscription  copies,  the  stamp  of  the 
engraver  and  his  autograph  signature.  Mr.  Harris  has,  of 
the  same  print,  the  original    etching,  and  one  or  two 


MR.  HARRIS*  LIBRARY. 


183 


engraver's  proofs  representing  different  states  of  the  unfin- 
ished plate.  He  has  also  a  large  number  of  Raphael  Mor- 
ghen's  other  engravings,  many  of  them  proofs  before  letter, 
and  likewise  several  of  the  original  copper-plates  ;  one  of 
which  is  just  as  it  left  the  engraver's  hand,  never  having 
been  retouched. 

Of  modern  engravings  the  most  noteworthy,  however, 
are  five  impressions,  representing  so  many  different  states 
of  the  plate,  of  Muller's  Sistine  Madonna: — as  a  series 
believed  to  be  unique.  First  is  the  original  etching ;  next 
the  engraver's  proof  after  he  had  worked  upon  the  plate 
four  years  ;  third  is  a  similar  proof  after  he  had  worked 
upon  it  six  years  ;  then  comes  a  proof  before  letters,  so 
called,  on  India  paper,  with  a  single  line  of  inscription 
in  open  cursive  letters,  of  which  only  twenty-two  were 
printed ;  and  finally  an  impression  before  retouch  from  the 
finished  plate.  Mr.  Thies,  in  his  catalogue  of  the  Gray  col- 
lection, notes  that  a  proof  on  India  paper,  like  the  one 
above  mentioned,  was  sold  in  1866  for  seven  hundred  and 
forty  thalers,  and  another  at  Dresden,  in  the  following  year, 
for  eight  hundred  thalers;  a  thaler  at  that  time  being 
equivalent  to  a  dollar  in  our  currency.*    The  only  other 


*Much  has  been  written   about  this 
famous  engraver  and   his  masterpiece, 
which,  it  is  believed,  is  without  founda- 
tion.   Of  this  character  is  the  following 
22 


statement  copied  from  Maberly's  Print 
Collector :— "  When  Ferdinand  Muller,  at 
"  Dresden,  brought  home  to  his  employer, 
"  Rittner,  the  publisher,  the  first  proof  of 


184 


MR.  HARRIS1  LIBRARY. 


engravings  of  this  greatest  picture  of  Raphael,  worthy  of 
consideration,  are  Steinla's  and  Desnoyers'.  They  are  both 
in  this  collection,  one  an  artist's  proof,  and  the  other  a 
proof  before  letters. 

Among  the  noticeable  folios  of  rare  prints  are  volumes 
containing  complete  sets,  or  nearly  so,  of  the  etchings  of 


«•  his  beautiful  engraving  of  the  '  Madonna 
"  (U  S.  Sisto,'  the  mercantile  man  shook 
"  his  head,  and  told  the  artist  that  he  must 
•'  go  over  the  whole  of  the  plate  again,  and 
"  retouch  it  throughout,  for  that  such  deli- 
"  cate  work  would  not  throw  off  a  suffi- 
'•  cient  number  of  impressions  to  answer 
••the  trade  purposes;  Miiller's  remon- 
"  strances  were  in  vain,  and  he  was  com- 
"pelled  to  re-work  his  plate:  at  every 
'•touch  he  felt  that  he  was  sacrificing 
"genius  to  gain;  he  completed  the  labor 
•'  imposed  upon  him,  but  did  not  live  to 
"  see  a  print  taken  off;  he  sunk  under  the 
'•  dispiriting  task,  fell  a  victim  to  the  vex- 
"ation,  and  died  broken-hearted,  on  the 
"  very  day,  as  happened,  on  which  the 
•'first  proof  impression  of  the  retouched 
"  plate  was  rolled  off  at  Paris.*' 

During  the  latter  part  of  Rittner's  life 
Mr.  Ernst  Arnold  of  Dresden  was  inti- 
mately associated  with  him,  and,  at  his 
death,  succeeded  to  his  business.  From 
Arnold,  or  from  Rittner's  family  through 
Arnold's  instrumentality,  Mr.  Harris  pro- 
cured the  series  of  impressions  referred 
to  in  the  text,  and  he  likewise  procured 
from  Arnold  much  valuable  information, 
both  verbal  and  written,  relating  to  the 


engraver.  Mr.  Arnold's  manuscript,  dated 
December  6,  1867,  is  now  before  us,  and 
from  it  the  following  facts  are  gleaned. 
The  sum  agreed  on  between  Miiller  and 
Rittner  for  engraving  the  plate,  was  so 
extremely  low,  that,  as  years  went  on,  it 
was  increased  to  seven  thousand  thalers, 
or  three  times  the  original  contract  price. 
The  work  was  so  long  in  hand  that  pay- 
ments  were  required  on  account,  and 
hence,  from  time  to  time,  impressions 
were  taken  from  the  plate  to  show  Rittner 
the  progress  made,  whereupon  the  money 
was  advanced;  and  it  is  these  engraver's 
proofs  that  Mr.  Harris  possesses.  Inas- 
much as  an  engraving  of  this  picture  had 
already  been  made  by  Professor  Schulze 
and  been  published  by  the  Dresden  Gal- 
lery under  Government  patronage,  it  was 
feared  that  the  Royal  permission  to  allow 
another  engraving  of  it  to  be  made,  could 
not  be  obtained;  hence  the  first  steps  in 
Miiller's  great  work  were  taken  with 
extreme  caution .  The  very  drawing  from 
which  the  engraver  worked  was  secretly 
made  by  Professor  Seidelmann,  the  then 
custodian  of  the  Gallery,  and,  to  shield 
himself,  was  attributed  to  his  wife  and 
passed  under  her  name.    From  the  first 


MB.  HARE  IS'  LIBRARY. 


185 


Waterloo,  and  of  Salvator  Rosa,  and  a  volume  containing  a 
set  of  Hogarth's  engravings,  comprising  eighty-four  prints, 
all  early  impressions,  and  many  of  them  proofs  before 
letter,  or  engraver's  proofs.  They  consist  of  the  eighty 
engravings,  with  four  others  not  usually  included  in  the  set, 
which  Mrs.  Hogarth  in  1768,  after  her  husband's  death, 


the  engraver  threw  his  whole  soul  into 
the  work,  and,  as  it  approached  comple- 
tion, being  uncertain  about  the  drawing 
from  which  he  worked,  was  very  desirous 
of  making  a  retouch  of  the  most  impor- 
tant parts  of  his  plate  from  the  painting 
itself.  The  events  which  ejected  the  King 
of  Saxony  from  his  capital  allowed  Midler 
the  coveted  opportunity ;  and  the  heads  of 
the  Madonna  and  Child,  being  unsatisfac- 
tory to  him,  were  effaced  and  engraved 
anew.  The  printing  of  the  engraver's 
proofs,  which  were  taken  by  different 
German  printers  while  the  work  was  in 
progress,  was  not  in  any  case  satisfactory. 
Accordingly,  when  the  plate  was  finished 
in  1816,  Mr.  Rittner  sent  it  to  Paris  to  be 
printed,  and  by  his  order  one  hundred 
proof  impressions,  with  a  single  line  of 
description,  were  first  taken  from  it. 
Twenty-two  of  these  were  on  India  paper, 
one  of  which  Mr.  Rittner  selected  as  a 
present  for  his  wife.  This  impression  Mr. 
Harris  procured  from  Rittner's  family  in 
1867.  It  bears  on  its  margin  Mr.  Rittner's 
manuscript  dedication  to  his  wife  in  these 
words: — fur  meine  libe  frau,  Sophia  Ritt- 
ner— (for  my  beloved  wife  Sophia  Ritt- 
ner).   The  proofs  on  white  paper  were 


unfortunate^  printed  too  dark,  produc- 
ing an  effect  out  of  harmony  with  the 
character  of  the  painting;  but  in  the  India 
proofs  the  color  was  softened  and  toned 
down,  thus  giving  to  these  impressions  a 
fine  and  perfectly  saticfactory  representa- 
tion. The  first  twelve  prints  with  letters 
were  likewise  on  India  paper,  and  are 
now  esteemed  almost  as  highly  as  the 
proof  impressions.  Of  the  one  hundred 
proofs  fifty-seven  were  subscribed  for  in 
Germany,  and  during  a  trip  to  London 
and  Paris  three  were  sold  in  each  city. 
The  remaining  thirty-seven  were  dis- 
posed  of  to  Mr.  Salmon  at  Paris,  who 
advanced  the  price  to  one  thousand  francs 
the  day  after  his  purchase.  In  1818  the 
plate  was  first  retouched  by  Bervic :  sub. 
sequently,  to  quote  Arnold's  own  words, 
"  Mr.  Desnoyers  made  a  full  retouch  with 
loss  of  the  finer  parts  of  it,  and,  since  this, 
several  inferior  artists  have  spoiled  every 
good  part  in  it."  Miiller  died  just  before 
the  first  proof  arrived  from  Paris,  and 
Bryan,  in  his  Dictionary  of  Painters  and 
Engravers,  says  that,  after  its  arrival,  it 
was  suspended  over  the  head  of  his  bier 
as  he  lay  dead. 


186  MR.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 

advertised  might  be  had  of  her  at  her  house  in  Leicester 
Fields.  Equally  worthy  of  notice  are  two  atlas  folios 
presented  by  Sir  Robert  Strange  to  a  former  owner,  and 
containing  an  original  copy  of  Sir  Robert's  own  works,  con- 
sisting of  "A  Collection  of  Historical  Prints  engraved  from 
pictures  by  the  most  celebrated  Painters  of  the  Roman, 
Florentine,  Lombard,  Venetian,  and  other  Schools:  with 
descriptive  remarks  on  the  same."  The  artist,  from  time  to 
time,  as  he  engraved  them,  laid  aside  eighty  copies  each,  of 
selected  proofs,  of  fifty  of  his  most  considerable  works,  and 
in  1790,  near  the  end  of  his  career,  caused  them  to  be 
bound  with  letter-press  descriptions. f  Many  of  these  copies 
have  since  been  cut  up  and  the  prints  sold  separately,  so 
that  complete  sets,  in  the  original  state,  are  now  rarely  to 


fSir  Robert  Strange's  own  words  can 
hardly  fail  to  interest  the  reader.  In 
the  '  Introduction'  to  his  engraved  works, 
he  says:— ''To  come,  lastly,  to  a  con- 
sideration of  the  Impressions,  not  the 
least  important  in  a  collection  of  this 
kind,  the  whole  publication  consists  but 
of  about  four  score  copies  of  choice  and 
selected  impressions  of  each  print,  form- 
ing so  many  volumes,  which  the  Author 
had  carefully  preserved  of  all  he  had 
engraved,  and  which  have,  from  length  of 
time,  acquired  a  peculiar  beauty,  mellow- 
ness, and  brilliancy,  that  is  easier  seen 
than  described.  From  his  earliest  estab- 
lishment in  life,  he  preserved  sucn  a 


series,  with  a  view  of  giving  them  to  the 
Public,  at  a  period  when  length  of  years 
should  disable  him  from  adding  to  their 
number.  That  period  being  now  arrived  ; 
and  the  publication  of  these  prints,  pre- 
ceded by  some  account  of  the  pictures 
from  which  they  were  taken,  constitut- 
ing the  present  volume,  terminates  his 
labours:  nor  can  he  fear  to  be  charged 
with  vanity,  if.  in  the  eve  of  a  life, 
consumed  in  the  study  of  the  Arts,  he 
indulges  the  pride  to  think,  that  he  may, 
by  this  monument  of  his  Works,  secure  to 
his  name,  while  engraving  shall  last,  the 
praise  of  having  contributed  to  its  credit 
and  advancement." 


3IR.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


187 


be  met  with.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  frauds  are 
perpetrated  in  imitation  of  so  important  a  work.  Impres- 
sions from  the  worn  and  retouched  plates  have  recently 
been  bound  up  by  a  London  dealer,  with  an  imitated  reprint 
of  the  letter-press,  and  palmed  off  on  unwary  purchasers 
as  originals.  The  false  is,  however,  easily  distinguished 
from  the  genuine  issue.  In  the  genuine  copies  the  prints 
are  all  numbered  with  Roman  numerals,  which  are  wanting 
in  the  imitation.  The  original  issue  of  the  first  print  con- 
tains two  impressions  of  the  head  of  Sir  Robert  Strange  on 
the  same  sheet,  the  upper  one  being  an  etching,  and  the 
lower  one  an  impression  from  the  finished  plate.  The 
imitation  has  only  the  latter,  for,  the  plate  being  then 
finished,  it  was  impossible  to  reproduce  the  etching.  Other 
differences  might  be  pointed  out,  but  these  are  sufficient  to 
put  print  collectors  on  their  guard.  Many  copies  of  this 
spurious  edition  have,  within  the  last  few  years,  been  sent 
to  this  country  duty  free,  under  the  pretext  that  they  were 
printed  prior  to  1800.  Had  the  inspector  of  customs  been 
sharp,  however,  he  would  easily  have  exposed  the  fraud. 
By  holding  up  to  the  light  a  sheet  of  the  letter-press,  the 
recently  manufactured  paper  would  have  shown  him,  in  its 
water-mark,  a  date  later  than  1870. 

The  inseparable  connection  between  art  and  literature 
is  well  illustrated  by  the  books  produced  before  printing 


188 


MR.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


was  invented.  Artists  were  not  unfrequently  called  npon 
to  illuminate  highly  prized  volumes  ;  and  missals,  especially, 
were  often  ornamented  in  the  most  elaborate  manner.  Mr. 
Harris  possesses  several  of  these  choice  little  volumes,  one 
of  which  is  quite  remarkable.  It  contains  a  large  number 
of  illuminated  initials,  and  seventeen  miniatures,  beautifully 
executed,  nearly  all  of  them  bearing  the  initials,  "N.  G." 
It  was  illuminated  for  the  Elector  of  Mayence  by  Nicholas 
Glockenton,  a  pupil  of  Albert  Durer ;  and  one  of  the  minia- 
tures is  said  to  be  the  work  of  Albert  Durer  himself.  This 
missal  was  presented  to  the  Emperor  Rudolph  II.,  of 
Austria,  who  in  turn  gave  it  to  the  Chevalier  Shonfeld,  of 
Vienna,  from  one  of  whose  descendants  it  passed,  through 
the  hands  of  a  dealer,  into  the  possession  of  its  present 
owner.  Another  manuscript  on  vellum  in  this  collection 
bears  the  date  of  1297. 

An  important  class  of  books,  and  one  specially  attract- 
ive to  those  interested  in  typography,  dates  back  to  the  first 
century  of  printing  and  immediately  follows  the  period  of 
manuscripts,  of  which  we  have  been  speaking ;  the  connect- 
ing link  being  Block-Books,  of  which  specimens  are 
exceedingly  rare.  Here  is  a  volume — Ludovici  Pontani  de 
Roma  Singular ia  Juris,  et  Pit  II.  Tractatus  et  Epitaphia — 
one  of  the  veriest  aristocrats  of  typography.  It  was  for- 
merly in  the  Enschede  collection.    It  is  nearly  uncut,  and 


MB.   HA  B  BIS'   LIB  BABY. 


189 


is  the  only  perfect  copy  of  the  four  known  to  be  extant.  It 
has  sixty  leaves,  of  which  the  first  is  blank,  and  is  the 
identical  copy  described  in  Holtrop's  Monumens  Typography 
iques,  where  facsimiles  and  an  extended  account  of  it  are 
given.  A  description  of  the  book  may  also  be  found  in  the 
Principia  Typographica  of  Sotheby,  who  gives  facsimiles 
from  the  copy  in  the  Earl  Spencer's  library.  The  Spencer 
copy  lacks  the  blank  leaf,  as  does  also  a  copy  in  the  Royal 
Library  at  the  Hague.  A  fourth  copy,  some  time  since  in 
the  hands  of  a  dealer,  and  now  supposed  to  be  in  the 
British  Museum,  wants  the  last  leaf.  The  book  is  without 
date,  place  of  publication,  or  printer's  name,  but,  without 
doubt,  was  printed  in  the  Netherlands  about  the  year  1470. 

Another  typographical  rarity  is  Otto  van  Passau's 
Boeck  des  Gulden  Throens  —  (Book  of  the  Golden  Throne)  — 
a  fine  specimen  of  the  unknown  printer,  who  is  distin- 
guished by  the  initials,  "G.  t."  This  is  likewise  described 
by  Holtrop,  who,  in  his  Monumens  Typographiques ,  gives  fac- 
similes of  its  curious  wood-cuts.  It  was  printed  at  Utrecht, 
in  1480,  and  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the  state  of  the  art  in 
those  early  days  of  typography. 

Still  another  work  purchased  by  Mr.  Harris  at  the 
Enschede  sale,  is  a  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  the  Hypne- 
rotomachia,  printed  by  Aldus  in  1499.  A  few  words  from 
Humphreys  respecting  this  book,  may  not  be  amiss.  "The 


190 


MB.  HARRIS''  LIBRARY. 


works  of  the  Aldi,"  says  Humphreys,  "  though  so  remarka- 
ble in  other  respects,  are  seldom  of  a  highly  decorative 
character,  in  regard  either  to  illustrations  or  decorative 
ornamentation,  with,  however,  one  very  remarkable  excep- 
tion—  that  of  the  4  Hypnerotomachia,'  printed  in  1499. 
This  work,  which  is  a  very  singular  literary  production, 
professes  to  describe  the  combats  and  trials  of  Love,  as  seen 
in  a  dream,  in  the  description  of  which  many  kinds  of 
learning,  romance,  arclneology,  and  science  (as  then  known) 
are  brought  into  play,  and  frequently  in  a  somewhat  hetero- 
geneous manner.  The  pictorial  illustrations  of  this  work, 
which  are  very  profuse,  and  often  accompanied  by  beautiful 
arabesque  borde rings,  are  said  by  some  to  be  by  Andrea 
Mantegna.  Ottley  thought  them  by  Benedetto  Mantegna ; 
while  some  have  attributed  them  to  Raphael,  whose  pencil 
they  would  scarcely  discredit.  It  will,  however,  be  more 
prudent,  unless  some  further  information  should  be 
obtained,  to  consider  them  the  work  of  an  (at  present) 
unknown  artist.  .  .  .  The  real  author  .  .  .  was  a 
Colonna,  and  not  Poliphilo,  as  stated,  which  is  an  assumed 
name." 

A  curious  little  book  is  one  purporting,  to  be  by 
Caius  Plinius  Secundus,  giving  brief  sketches  of  the  lives  of 
distinguished  men.  It  is  in  Latin,  in  black  letter,  and  was 
printed  in  Home,  in  1492,  by  Stephanus  Planck.    But  one 


MR.  HA  RRIS '   LIBRAE  Y. 


191 


must  not  linger  too  long,  even  on  the  most  congenial 
themes,  though  no  mention  has  yet  been  made  of  Boccace's 
De  la  Genealogie  des  Dieux,  printed  by  Verard  in  1498,  nor 
of  numerous  other  Fifteeners,  as  these  fifteenth  century 
books  are  sometimes  called. 

Before  leaving  the  early  printing  and  wood  engraving 
of  this  collection,  for  they  are  inseparably  connected,  we 
should  not  omit  mention  of  an  original  copy  of  Albert 
Durer's  "Life  of  the  Virgin,"  in  twenty  cuts,  nor  of  a  book 
issued  in  the  Sixteenth  century,  filled  with  wood-cuts 
by  Hans  Sebald  Beham,  a  German  engraver  on  copper 
and  wood,  who  is  classed  by  collectors  among  what  are 
denominated  the  little  masters*  Here  too  are  various  edi- 
tions of  Holbein's  "  Dance  of  Death,"  and  of  his  "  Illustra- 


*  Bryan,  in  his  Dictionary  of  Painters 
and  Engravers,  in  speaking  of  Beham, 
says  the  little  masters  are  so  denominated 
"on  account  of  their  prints  being  gene- 
rally small." 

May  it  not  he,  however,  that  having 
been  pupils  of  Albert  Durer,  or  at  least 
under  his  influence  at  Nurnherg,  they 
were  so  classified  because  he  was  the  Mas- 
ter of  Nurnberg,  or  the  Great  Master,  and 
they  in  contradistinction  were  termed 
the  Little  Masters  ? 

Mr.  William  B.  Scott,  in  his  interesting 
Life  and  Works  of  Albert  Durer,  says  :— 
•'The  term  'Little  Masters'  is,  correctly 
speaking,  limited  to  the  Nurnberg  set, 
and  comprises  only  these  seven  :— 
23 


Born. 

Died. 

A.  Altdorfer, 

.  1488 

1540. 

H.  Aldegrever,  . 

.  1502 

1555-R5. 

Bartel  Beham,  . 

.  1504 

1540. 

H.  Sebald  Beham, 

.  1500 

1550. 

George  Pensz,  . 

.  1500 

1555. 

Jacob  Bink,  . 

Hans  Brosamer, 

All  of  them  born  in  Nurnberg,  or  repair- 
ing thither  to  pursue  their  art  for  a  time, 
then  leaving  for  various  countries.  I 
think  it  is  not  too  much  to  suppose  the 
presence  of  the  Master  the  reason  for  this 
extraordinary  gathering  of  talent.  We 
see  the  subjects  treated  have  a  common 
character,  and  in  many  instances  are 
traceable  to  the  Durer  influence,  although 


192 


MR.    HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


tions  of  the  Old  Testament."  The  most  important  of  the 
latter  is  the  edition  of  1549,  it  being  the  first  edition  issued 
with  an  English  version  of  the  descriptive  text.  It  is  so 
exceedingly  curious  and  rare  —  according  to  Brunet,  rarer 
than  all  other  editions — that  the  exact  title  may  interest 
the  reader.  It  is  as  follows: — "The  Images  of  the  Old 
Testament,  Lately  expressed,  set  forthe  in  Ynglishe  and 
Frenche,  vuith  a  playn  and  brief  exposition.  Printid  at 
Lyons,  by  Iohan  Frellon,  the  yere  of  our  lord  God,  1549." 
One  of  the  passages  of  Scripture,  extracted  from  this  book, 
will  doubtless  cause  the  reader  to  agree  with  Dr.  Dibdin  in 
the  opinion  that  "it  is  clear  that  the  Author  of  this  English 
version  was  a  Foreigner?  The  following  quaint  translation 
elucidates  the  third  cut  in  the  volume: — "Vuhen  Adam 
and  Heua  dyd  atknolege  thor  syn,  they  dyd  fie  from  the 
face  of  God,  and  ar  obiected  vnto  deth.    Cherubim  is  seth 


that  of  Burgkmair  also  is  apparent.  .  .  . 
Aldegrever  was  a  Westphalian,  and  of 
him  we  may  say  with  certainty  that  he 
was  Durer's  pupil.  The  works  of  this 
artist  are  such  as  show  him  to  have  been 
a  man  of  quite  extraordinary  powers,  not 
a  'Little'  hut  a  'great  master,'  realising 
Bible  histories  like  a  poet.  .  .  .  Next  in 
invention  and  power  of  hand  to  Hem-y 
Aldegrever  is  H.  Sebald  Beham,  who  is 
said  to  have  learned  engraving  from  Bar- 
tel,  who  was  however  his  junior;  and  also 
to  have  studied  under  Durer.  Certainly 
Sebald's  manner    is  more  resembling 


Durer's  than  that  of  any  other  of  these 
little  masters,  even  Aldegrever." 

However  small  the  plates  of  the  little 
masters  may  have  been,  some  of  their 
blocks  were  far  from  diminutive.  Dr. 
Willshire  in  his  Introduction  to  the  Study 
and  Collection  of  Ancient  Prints,  Second 
Edition,  says,— "  II.  S.  Beham  cut  some 
very  large  single  blocks,  and  in  Derschau's 
work  may  be  seen  a  cut  engraved  in  1525, 
which  is  more  than  34  inches  high  by  24 
wide,  and  executed  in  a  style  as  bold  and 
free  as  its  size  demanded." 


MB.  HABBIS'   LIB  BABY. 


193 


lefore  paradise  of  pleasur  vuyth  a  fyrey  svuord."  (When 
Adam  and  Eve  did  acknowledge  their  sin,  they  did  flee  from 
the  face  of  God,  and  are  subjected  unto  death.  Cherubim 
is  set  before  Paradise  of  pleasure  with  a  fiery  sword). 

In  this  library  early  editions  of  the  English  poets  and 
dramatists  abound.  Here  are  two  little  books  daintily 
bound  by  Bedford  in  blue  wrinkled  morocco :  they  are 
Painters  Palace  of  Pleasure,  and,  as  the  title-pages  tell  us, 
were  "  Imprinted  at  London  in  Fletestreate  neare  to  S. 
Dunstones  Church  by  Thomas  Marshe,"  in  1569.  "  The 
pleasauntest  workes  of  George  Gascoigne  Esquyre:  Newlye 
compyled  into  one  Volume,"  printed  in  1587,  in  black  letter, 
is  a  rare  book  of  poetry.  It  is  bound  by  Hayday,  and  was 
presented  in  1770,  as  an  autograph  inscription  on  the  fly  leaf 
indicates,  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Warton,  the  author  of  the  His- 
tory of  English  Poetry,  by  Dr.  "Warburton,  Bishop  of  Glou- 
cester. Here  are  the  first  two  editions  of  Spenser's  Faerie 
Queene,  printed  in  1590  and  1596,  as  well  as  Spenser's 
other  works  in  first  editions.  Other  rare  books  are  the 
Ship  of  Fools,  folio  edition  of  1570  ;  the  Mirrour  for  Magis- 
trates, the  edition  of  1610,  a  copy  containing  the  "  elegant 
sonnet "  which  the  Bibliotheca  Anglo  Poetica  says  "  occurs 
only  in  a  fewT  copies;"  the  first  edition  of  Ben  Jonson's 
Works  issued  in  1616  ;  and  the  first  collected  edition  of 
Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  a  folio  printed  in  1647.  Then 


194 


MR.  HARRIS''  LIBRARY. 


there  are  the  first  four  folios  of  Shakespeare,  and  the  first 
edition  of  his  poems,  published  in  1640.  There  are  like- 
wise first  editions  of  Milton's  Poems  (1645),  of  Paradise 
Lost  (1669),  of  Paradise  Regained  (1671),  of  his  Doctrine 
and  Discipline  of  Divorce  (1643),  and  of  several  of  his 
other  works.  There  is  a  curious  little  book  here  printed  at 
the  Hague  in  1649,  entitled  "  Electra  of  Sophocles:  Pre- 
sented to  Her  Highnesse  the  Lady  Elizabeth ;  With  an 
Epilogue,  Shewing  the  Parallell  in  two  Poems,  The  Return 
and  The  Restauration.  By  C.  W."  The  Electra  is  trans- 
lated into  English,  and  the  book  is  mentioned  in  this  con- 
nection to  show  the  incorrectness,  in  some  measure  at  least, 
of  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Johnson  and  of  Mr.  Warton  that  Mil- 
ton's doctrine  of  divorce  was  unnoticed  in  his  own  day. 
Four  lines  in  "  The  Return"  are  as  follows  : — 

"While  like  the  frovvard  Miltonist, 
We  our  old  Nuptiall  knot  untwist : 
And  with  the  hands,  late  faith  did  joyn, 
This  Bill  of  plain  Divorce  now  signe." 

One  of  the  latest  additions  to  this  branch  of  Mr.  Harris' 
library  is  the  Menzies  copy  of  the  Kilmarnock  edition  of 
Burns'  Poems  published  in  1786.  Mr.  Sabin  thus  speaks 
of  it  in  the  Menzies  Catalogue  :  —  "A  Beautiful,  Large,  and 
Clean  copy  of  the  excessively  rare  first  or  Kilmarnock  edi- 
tion, now  almost  unobtainable  at  any  price.    Indeed  a  first 


MR.  HARRIS*  LIBRARY.  195 

folio  Shakespeare,  or  the  first  edition  of  Milton's  Paradise 
Lost,  are  much  less  rare." 

Much  more  of  interest  in  early  English  literature 
might  be  enumerated,  for  no  mention  has  been  made  of 
over  six  hundred  original  quarto  plays,  mostly  printed  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  and  covering  the  period  from  the 
time  of  Shakespeare  to  that  of  Dry  den.  The  above,  how- 
ever, will  suffice  for  examples  of  the  richness  of  the  collec- 
tion in  this  department. 

Mr.  Harris  has,  perhaps,  the  largest  collection  of 
American  poetry  in  the  country.  In  1874  he  printed  for 
his  own  convenience  an  Index  to  this  part  of  his  library. 
It  then  numbered,  including  the  drama,  four  thousand  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  titles,  but,  with  the  additions  since 
made,  it  now  numbers  about  five  thousand  titles.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  he  will  carry  out  the  purpose,  which  we  under- 
stand he  entertains,  of  printing  a  catalogue  of  this  portion 
of  his  library  more  comprehensive  than  the  Index  above 
referred  to,  giving  full  titles  and  collations,  and  descriptive 
and  bibliographical  notes.  With  much  that  is  of  little 
value,  except  as  it  contributes  toward  completeness,  there 
is,  on  the  other  hand,  much  in  this  department  of  the  col- 
lection that  is  rare,  curious  and  interesting.  Of  the  rare 
volumes  the  most  important,  perhaps,  though  by  no  means 
the  most  rare,  is  the  "  Bay  Psalm  Book,"  or,  as  it  is  some- 


196  MB.  BAB  BIS'  LIB  BABY. 

limes  called,  the  "New  England  Psalm  Book."  It  was 
printed  in  Cambridge  by  Stephen  Daye  in  1640,  and  is  the 
first  book  printed  in  the  British  American  Colonies.  This 
copy  is  complete,  and  has  a  peculiar  interest  in  that  it  is, 
in  a  double  sense,  an  author's  copy,  having  originally 
belonged  to  Richard  Mather,  the  author  of  the  Preface  and 
one  of  the  translators,  and  afterwards  to  the  Bev.  Thomas 
Prince,  who,  in  1758,  published  an  edition  of  the  Bay 
Psalm  Book  revised  and  improved.  It  is  in  the  original 
old  sheep  binding,  and  has  in  it  Prince's  book-plate,  and, 
on  the  fly-leaves,  Richard  Mather's  autograph  many  times 
repeated. 

Other  volumes  of  this  early  colonial  period  are  the 
first  edition  of  Eliot's  Indian  Bible,  containing  a  metrical 
version  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Indian  dialect ;  Roger  Wil- 
liams' Key,  London,  1643,  about  half  of  which  is  in  verse  ; 
Samuel  Gorton's  Simplicities  Defence,  London,  1646,  con- 
taining a  preliminary  poem  of  four  pages,  signed  "  S.  G. ;" 
Annie  Bradstreet's  Tenth  Muse,  London,  1650,  and  the 
editions  of  her  poems  printed  in  Boston  in  1678,  and  in 
1758.  A  rare  little  volume  of  early  Southern  poetry  is  "A 
Song  of  Sion.  Written  by  a  Citizen  thereof,  whose  out- 
ward Habitation  is  in  Virginia,"  &c,  printed  in  1662.  The 
author  was  a  Quaker,  and  though  his  name  does  not  appear 
on  the  title-page,  it  is  disclosed  in  the  last  couplet  — 


MB.   RABBIS'   LIB  BABY. 


197 


"Not  else  I  feel,  that  now  to  say  I  have, 
But  that  I  am,  your  fellow-friend,  John  Grave." 

Jacob  Steendam,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New 
Amsterdam,  and  its  first  poet,  is  represented  by  his  "  Dis~ 
tefoink"  (The  Thistle-Finch),  printed  at  Amsterdam  in 
1649-50,  and  by  his  "'tLof  van  Nuw-Nederland"  (The 
Praise  of  New  Netherlands),  printed  also  at  Amsterdam,  in 
1661.  Mr.  Henry  C.  Murphy,  who  in  his  Anthology  of 
New  Netherlands  (No.  4  of  the  Bradford  Club  Series),  has 
reprinted  The  Praise  of  New  Netherlands,  says  that  the 
copy,  from  which  he  printed,  belonging  to  James  Lenox, 
Esq.,  of  New  York,  was  the  only  one  he  had  been  able  to 
discover.  Mr.  Harris'  copy  has  turned  up  since  the  publi- 
cation of  Mr.  Murphy's  volume,  and,  as  far  as  is  now 
known,  these  two  are  the  only  copies  extant. 

The  early  German-American  poetry  written  by  the 
religious  mystics,  so  to  speak,  of  the  various  sects  of  Ger- 
man Baptists  who  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  was  mostly 
issued  from  the  presses  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  Christo- 
pher Sauer,  and  from  their  own  press  at  Ephrata,  and 
belongs  to  a  later  colonial  period,  having  been  printed  dur- 
ing the  first  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  is  largely, 
if  not  exhaustively,  represented  in  this  library.  Rare 
Franklin  and  Ephrata  imprints  —  so  rare,  some  of  them,  as 
to  be  almost  unknown  to  bibliographers  —  appear  in  these 
volumes  of  religious  poetry. 


198 


MR.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


Here  is  a  curious  collection  of  American  Chap-Books 
in  verse.  Among  the  most  interesting  of  them,  and  from 
a  historical  point  of  view,  perhaps  the  most  important,  are 
some  pamphlets  printed  in  Boston,  during  the  Stamp-Act 
excitement,  in  1765.  They  are  printed  on  coarse,  brownish 
paper  and,  in  some  cases,  have  rude  wood-cut  and  copper- 
plate illustrations.  They  give,  in  doggerel  verse,  rather 
graphic  narrations  of  passing  events.  One  of  them  contains 
a  description  of  "  The  Officers'  Ball,"  —  a  ball  given  by 

"Ships  Officers,  and  Army's  too, 
Some  with  Red  coats  and  some  with  Blue." 

The  ball  does  not  seem  to  have  attracted  the  elite  of  Boston 
society,  and,  to  secure  a  suitable  supply  of  the  fair  sex 
for  it, 

'The  Officers  I've  heard  it  said, 
They  brought  a  Freight  from  Marble-head.' 

Among  them  also  is  the  celebrated  "  Looking  Glass  for  the 
Times,"  by  Dr.  Franklin's  maternal  grandfather,  Peter  Fol- 
ger.  It  was  44  Printed  in  the  Year  1763,"  and  is  signed  at 
the  end  44  April  23,  1676,"  the  date,  probably,  at  which  the 
manuscript  was  finished  by  its  author.  Copies  of  it  are 
very  rare,  so  much  so  that  Mr.  Duyckinck,  who  reprinted  it 
in  his  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Literature  in  1856,  was 
obliged  to  print  from  a  manuscript  copy  then  in  the  posses- 


MR.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


199 


sion  of  Mr.  Bancroft.  This  manuscript  copy  was  sold  in 
the  John  Allan  collection  in  1864,  and  again,  more  recently, 
in  the  Hoffman  sale,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  trace  a 
printed  copy  in  any  sale,  or  in  any  collection.* 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  American  poetry  are  the 
Song- Books  and  the  Broadside-Ballads.    Of  the  latter  there 


*Dr.  Franklin,  in  his  Autobiography, 
speaks  of  his  maternal  grandfather  as  fol- 
lows—" My  mother,  the  second  wife  of  my 
father,  was  Abiah  Folger,  daughter  of 
Peter  Folger,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
New  England;  of  whom  honorable  men- 
tion is  made  by  Cotton  Mather  in  his 
ecclesiastical  history  of  that  country, 
entitled  Magnolia  Christi  Americana,  as  'a 
godly  and  learned  Englishman,'  if  I 
remember  the  words  rightly.  I  was 
informed,  he  wrote  several  small  occa- 
sional works,  but  only  one  of  them  was 
printed,  which  I  remember  to  have  seen 
several  years  since.  It  was  written  in 
1675.  It  was  in  familiar  verse,  according 
to  the  taste  of  the  times  and  people;  and 
addressed  to  the  government  there.  It 
asserts  the  liberty  of  conscience,  in  behalf 
of  the  Anabaptists,  the  Quakers,  and 
other  sectaries,  that  had  been  persecuted. 
He  attributes  to  this  persecution  the 
Indian  wars,  and  other  calamities  that 
had  befallen  the  country;  regarding  them 
as  so  many  judgments  of  God  to  punish  so 
heinous  an  offence,  and  exhorting  the 
repeal  of  those  laws,  so  contrary  to  char- 
ity. This  piece  appeared  to  me  as  written 
with  manly  freedom,  and  a  pleasing  sim- 
24 


plicity.  The  six  last  lines  I  remember, 
but  have  forgotten  the  preceding  ones  of 
the  stanza;  the  purport  of  them  was,  that 
his  censures  proceeded  from  good  will, 
and  therefore  he  would  be  known  to  be 
the  author. 

'  Because  to  be  a  Libeller, 

I  hate  it  with  my  Heart. 
From  Sherbon  Town,  where  now  I  dwell, 

my  Name  I  do  put  here, 
Without  Offence  your  real  Friend, 

it  is  Peter  Folger.'" 

Sherbon  was  the  name  of  a  town  on  the 
Island  of  Nantucket.  The  lines  which 
immediately  precede  those  quoted  by  Dr. 
Franklin,  and  which  are  necessary  to 
complete  the  sentiment  intended  to  be 
conveyed  by  the  author,  are  as  follows  :— 

"  I  am  for  Peace,  and  not  for  War, 

and  that's  the  Reason  why 
I  write  more  plain  than  some  Men  do, 

that  use  to  daub  and  lie. 
But  I  shall  cease  and  set  my  Name 

to  what  I  here  insert, 
Because  to  be  a  Libeller,"  &c. 


200 


MB.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


are  some  two  thousand,  and  of  the  Song-Books  about  four 
hundred,  the  titles  of  which  alone  fill  sixteen  pages  in  Mr. 
Harris'  Index. 

Another  marked  branch  is  the  literature  of  Slavery, 
and  of  the  Rebellion.  The  nine  tracts  of  Las  Casas, 
(sometimes  called  eight),  issued  in  1552,  in  black  letter, 
and  the  Poems  of  Phillis  Wheatley,  a  negro  slave,  in 
a  great  variety  of  editions,  belong  more  particularly  to  the 
literature  of  Slavery.  The  literature  of  the  Rebellion  is  too 
recent  to  need  illustration :  suffice  it  to  say  that  this  depart- 
ment contains  from  seven  thousand  to  eight  thousand  titles. 

Other  periods  of  history,  both  English  and  American, 
have  been  selected  for  grouping  valuable  works,  but  we  will 
not  stop  to  enumerate.  There  is  one  manuscript,  however, 
pertaining  to  the  Revolutionary  period,  of  so  much  interest, 
and  particularly  to  Rhode- Islanders,  that  we  cannot  pass  it 
by.  It  is  a  small  folio  in  French,  of  one  hundred  and  six- 
teen pages,  with  eleven  finely  executed  maps  and  plans, 
written  by  an  aid-de-camp  of  the  Count  de  Rochambeau. 
This  is  its  title: — Journal  depuis  mon  depart  de  France  26 
Mars  1781  jusquau  18  Novembre  de  la  meme  Annee  que 
VArmee  aux  ordres  de  M.  Le  C'te  de  Rochambeau  est  entree 
dans  ses  Quartiers  d'Hiver.  (Journal  from  my  departure 
from  France  March  26,  1781,  to  November  18  of  the  same 
year,  when  the  army  under  command  of  the  Count  de 


MB.  HARRIS'  LIBRARY. 


201 


Rochambeau  went  into  winter  quarters).  The  allusions  to 
Rhode  Island  are  numerous.  Speaking  of  Providence  the 
writer  says, —  Providence  est  une  assez  johe  petite  Vitte  tres 
commercante  avant  la  guerre,  il  ny  a  vim  de  curieux  qu  tin  hopi- 
tal  dela  plus  gvande  beaute.  This  refers  to  the  college  build- 
ing, now  known  as  University  Hall,  which  was  used  as  a 
hospital  during  the  Revolutionary  "War.  Describing  a 
review  of  the  army  by  General  Washington,  he  says, —  le 
regiment  de  Rhode-island  entre  autres  est  dela  plus-grande 
beaute.  This  important  manuscript  was  secured  by  its 
owner  at  the  celebrated  Maisonneuve  sale,  which  took 
place  in  Paris,  January  fifteenth,  1868.  It  is  earnestly 
hoped  that  he  will  speedily  carry  out  his  original  intention 
of  printing  it,  with  facsimiles  of  the  maps  and  plans.* 


*One  of  Mr.  Harris'  manuscripts  effectu- 
ally illustrates  the  vanity,  too  often 
founded  on  falsehood,  which  tempts  many 
clever  writers  to  magnify  their  ability 
and  their  powers  of  literary  production. 
From  the  first  volume  of  Nichols'  Literary 
History  we  learn  that  William  Hutchin- 
son "was  a  solicitor  of  respectability  at 
Barnard-Castle,  in  the  County  of  Dur- 
ham;" and,  again,  that  "in  1788  Mr. 
Hutchinson  commenced  Dramatic  Wri- 
ter; and,  in  a  single  week,  completed  the 
Tragedy  of  'Pygmalion,  King  of  Tyre;' 
which  he  submitted  to  the  perusal  of  his 
friend  the  Rev.  Daniel  Watson."  Mr. 
Watson's  letter  to  Hutchinson  dated  Feb- 


ruary nineteenth,  1788,  is  printed  in  the 
same  volume,  and  in  it  he  expresses  his 
astonishment  at  his  friend's  unexampled 
feat,  and  asks,  "  is  it  possible  it  could  be 
the  effusion,  as  you  call  it,  of  one  week?" 
The  original  manuscript  of  this  play  is  in 
Mr.  Harris'  possession,  neatly  written  out 
in  eighty  pages,  bound  up  in  book  form 
in  binding  of  the  period,  and  signed  at  the 
end  "  Barnard  Castle,  11th  July  1758.  Win. 
Hutchinson."  For  thirty  years  then,  not- 
withstanding his  disingenuous  statement, 
had  William  Hutchinson  had  this  play 
seasoning,  to  be  brought  out  in  1788  as  a 
literary  prodigy  conceived  and  perfected 
in  a  single  week. 


202 


MB.   HARRIS'   LIBRAE  Y. 


Books  of  Mottoes  and  Emblems,  a  collection  of  curious 
old  English  Chap-Books,  and  other  classes  of  literature  in 
which  Mr.  Harris'  library  excels,  have  received  no  mention, 
because,  in  a  sketch  of  this  limited  character,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  include  all,  and  it  was  difficult  to  determine  what  to 
omit.  He  has  provided  a  rich  store-house  in  more  than  one 
department  of  literature :  especially  will  the  future  historian 
of  American  poetry  be  under  obligations  to  him  for  the 
abundant  harvest  of  material  so  industriously  garnered. 

In  looking  over  this  choice  collection  of  books  one 
recalls  the  remark  of  Milton,  that  a  4  good  book  is  not 
absolutely  a  dead  thing, — the  precious  life-blood  rather  of  a 
master  spirit ;  a  seasoned  life  of  man  embalmed  and  treas- 
ured up  on  purpose  to  a  life  beyond  life.'  Truly  the  old 
Egyptian  King  was  full  of  wisdom  when  he  inscribed  on 
his  library  the  words  — 6  The  dispensary  of  the  soul.' 


ME.  SIDNEY  S.  RIDERS 


LIBRARY. 


MR  SIDNEY  S.  EIDER'S  LIBRARY. 


—  Gathering  up  all  that  Time's  envious  tooth 
Has  spared  of  sound  and  grave  realities. 

Wordsworth. 

The  book- collectors  of  Providence  are  under  many 
obligations  to  Mr.  Rider.  A  bibliographer  of  generous 
attainments  he  possesses  an  ardent  enthusiasm  for  books  ; 
and,  though  a  bookseller  by  profession,  he  does  not  regard 
literature  from  the  commercial  stand-point  only.  When 
his  customers  have  been  tempted  to  select  choice  volumes 
from  his  stock,  his  interest  in  their  acquisitions  does  not 
cease  with  the  conclusion  of  the  business  part  of  the  trans- 
action, for  he  amply  shares  the  taste  his  occupation  encour- 
ages in  others.  A  dozen  years  ago  Mr.  Rider  issued  a  few 
numbers  of  a  little  monthly  called,  The  Bibliomaniac, 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  literature  and  the  fine  arts ;  and 
the  leading  article  in  one  of  the  numbers  was  from  the 
gifted  pen  of  the  late  Professor  Dunn.    Nearly  the  whole 


206 


MR.  EIDER'S  LIBRARY. 


issue  of  that  number  was  suppressed  when  it  became  appar- 
ent that  the  Professor,  in  his  sketch,  had  made  Mr.  Eider 
stand  for  his  own  portrait.  The  sketch,  however,  is  too 
good  to  be  lost,  and  our  readers,  we  are  sure,  will  thank  us 
for  reproducing  it  at  length,  as  follows  : — 

THE  GOOD  BOOKSELLER. 

"  There  are  few  members  of  society,  more  important 
and  useful  than  a  good  bookseller.  He  may  not  be  so 
directly  concerned  with  the  physical  life  and  well-being  of 
men,  as  a  butcher,  or  a  grocer ;  he  may  not  be  so  essential 
to  their  existence,  as  a  physician.  In  fact,  his  agency  in 
some  measure  presupposes  theirs.  Napoleon  put  among 
his  maxims  of  war,  that  a  good  commissariat  is  indispensa- 
ble to  good  soldiership.  It  is  not  less  needful  to  good 
scholarship.  An  habitually  hungry  man  will  hardly  be  an 
habitually  hard  student.  So  too,  as  the  Latin  satirist  puts 
it,  the  healthy  mind  can  go  only  with  the  healthy  body. 
But  when  the  wants  of  the  physical  man  have  been  relieved, 
those  of  the  intellectual  must  be  satisfied.  We  leave  out  of 
view  here  the  office  of  the  Christian  Ministry,  as  belonging 
to  a  higher  realm  ;  and  we  do  not  too  greatly  magnify  the 
bookseller's  office,  when  we  assign  him  an  equal  rank  with 
the  members  of  the  highest  of  the  intellectual  secular  pro- 
fessions,— that  of  the  teacher.  For  in  the  truest  and 
worthiest  sense,  a  good  bookseller  is  a  teacher. 


MR.    RIDER'S  LIBRARY. 


207 


"As  such,  the  profit  he  confers  on  society,  and  the 
rewards  he  wins,  are  not  to  be  estimated  by  the  material 
standard  of  pecuniary  gain.  So  far  as  society  is  concerned, 
the  important  question  is  not  fi  How  many  books,  and  at 
how  cheap  a  rate  can  they  buy  of  him  V  and  so  far  as  he  is 
concerned,  the  important  question  is  not,  4  How  large  are 
his  sales,  and  how  great  are  his  commissions  V  The  good 
which  he  does,  and  the  good  which  he  receives,  are  to  be 
weighed  in  a  more  delicate  and  spiritual  balance.  What 
stores  of  learning  does  he  offer  to  men  ]  What  forces  of 
impulse  and  influence]  of  culture  emanate  from  his  well  and 
wisely  filled  shelves  %  To  how  many  eyes  does  he  unroll 
the  ample  page  of  knowledge !  These  are  inquiries,  how- 
ever this  community  may  view  them,  vastly  more  inter- 
esting and  important  than,  Has  cotton  advanced  a  half  a 
cent  a  pound?  or,  How  many  yards  of  print  cloths  took 
advantage  of  a  sudden  rise  in  the  market]  or  even,  How. 
large  was  the  last  dividend  on  gas  stock,  or  screw  stock? 
We  rejoice  with  our  fellow  citizens  when  their  mills  and 
their  counting-rooms  witness  their  rapid  gains,  and  their 
accounts  record  enlarging  dividends,  but  we  think  their 
prosperity  should  be  attended  with  increasing  culture,  and 
a  richer  furnishing  and  a  costlier  apparel  of  the  intellect. 
The  life  is  more  than  meat ;  and  the  body  than  raiment. 

"  To  all  this,  a  good  bookseller  is  an  essential  helper. 


208 


31 B.  B  WEB'S  LIB  BABY. 


We  take  leave  to  interpret  the  title,  'a  good  bookseller,' 
by  associating  the  word  'good'  with  the  first  element  of 
the  complex  name;  he  is  a  seller  of  good  books;  and  as 
such,  he  is  a  power  in  society.    The  very  sight  of  his  well- 
ordered  shelves  and  counters  is  a  lesson.    The  best  scholar 
is  convicted  of  comparative  ignorance  by  the  long  array  of 
their  titles.    With  how  few  of  their  pages  is  he  familiar ! 
with  how  small  a  proportion  of  them  can  he  hope,  in  the 
short  space  of  human  life,  to  become  intimately  acquainted! 
But  no  one  who  has  any  intellectual  activity,  can  survey  the 
wealth  of  literature  which  a  good  book  store  offers  him, 
without  a  desire  to  become  a  master  of  it.    'What  a  world 
of  thought  is  here  packed  up  together,'  says  Bishop  Hall. 
4 1  know  not  whether  this  sight  doth  more  dismay,  or  com- 
fort me.    It  dismays  me,  to  think  that  here  is  so  much  that 
I  cannot  know ;  it  comforts  me  to  think  that  this  variety 
affords  so  much  assistance  to  know  what  I  should.  What 
a  happiness  is  it,  that  without  the  aid  of  necromancy,  I  can 
here  call  up  any  of  the  ancient  worthies  of  learning, 
whether  human  or  divine,  and  confer  with  them  upon  all 
my  doubts.    Nor  can  I  cast  my  eye  casually  upon  any  of 
these  silent  masters,  but  I  must  learn  somewhat.'    The  very 
air  of  a  book  store,  the  presence  of  its  goodly  volumes  must 
be,  to  a  sensitive  mind,  provocative  of  study.     A  really 
active  intellect  cannot  linger  long  among  good  books,  with- 
out becoming  a  student  of  good  books. 


311?.   FIDE  US'   LIB  BABY. 


209 


"  Thus  the  selection  of  books  by  a  good  bookseller, 
becomes  an  element  in  the  culture  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lives.  Of  course,  he  is  expected  to  know  the 
names  and  the  character  of  the  publications  of  the  day,  and 
to  present  promptly  to  the  frequenters  of  his  store,  whatever 
new  and  important  work  issues  from  the  press.  His  pur- 
chases should  keep  pace  with  the  announcements  of  the 
publishers.  But  his  wise  discriminations  will  be  instructive. 
He  is  not  to  follow  blindly  the  judgment  of  a  trade-sale 
auctioneer,  or  the  stereotype  commendations  of  a  venal 
editor.  He  must  know  books,  in  order  that  he  may  wisely 
buy  books ;  and,  if  his  judgment  be  good  and  his  taste  pure, 
the  purchases  which  he  makes,  will  help  to  form  the  judg- 
ment and  the  tastes  of  his  customers.  This  is  especially 
true  of  those  purchases  which  he  makes  from  the  older  and 
standard  literature  of  the  world.  We  little  suspect  how 
the  choice  editions  of  the  poets,  essayists,  historians,  which 
go  forth  to  teach  and  gladden  many  a  household,  determine 
their  habits  of  thought,  and  style  of  culture.  A  bookseller 
who  from  distant  shores,  brings  to  us  the  rare  and  venera- 
ble copies  of  the  older  literature,  brings  us  a  real  blessing. 
What  a  privilege  he  confers,  if  he  enables  us  to  feast  our 
untravelled  eyes  on  a  First  or  a  Second  Folio  of  Shake- 
speare, or  one  of  the  few  extant  copies  of  the  large  paper 
HibdiiVs  Decameron!    How  he  enriches  the  city  in  which. 

25 


210 


MR.  EIDER'S  LIBRARY. 


we  dwell,  if  he  imports  the  choicer  editions  of  Spenser,  or 
of  Milton,  or  the  rarer  copies  of  the  early  English  poets,  or 
the  pamphlets  and  poems  of  the  stirring  1 7th  century ! 
The  supply  thus  furnished  will  create  a  new  demand,  and 
that  demand  will  call  for  a  new  supply ;  and  seller  and 
buyer  will  be  mutually  helpful,  and  mutually  indebted. 

"The  bookseller's  counters  in  many  a  town,  especially 
if  that  town  be  a  small  one,  will  be  an  index  to  the  culture 
and  taste  that  exist  there.  One  may  estimate  the  character 
of  the  place,  both  by  what  he  sees  there,  and  by  what  he 
misses.  There  is  no  worthier  or  surer  pledge  of  the  intelli- 
gence and  the  purity  of  any  community,  than  their  general 
purchase  of  good  books  ;  nor  is  there  any  one  who  does 
more  to  further  the  attainment  and  the  possession  of  these 
qualities,  than  a  good  bookseller. 

"  The  time  has  long  gone  by,  when  the  bookseller  and 
the  patron  were  the  tyrants  of  the  realm  of  letters.  The 
popular  patronage  of  literature,  has  at  once  given  independ- 
ence to  the  author,  and  taught  a  wise  considerateness  to 
the  publisher.  Poorly  as  much  literary  work  is  remu- 
nerated, the  pen  now  enriches  many  a  writer.  Johnson 
would  not  now  be  forced  in  ragged  attire,  and  with  greedy 
appetite,  to  snatch  a  hasty  meal,  behind  a  screen  in  his 
publisher's  dining  room ;  Otway  need  not  now  be  choked  by 
a  ravenous  mouthful  of  long  untasted  food ;  Butler  would 


MR.   EIDER'S  LIBRARY. 


211 


have  something  better  than  a  stone,  if  he  sued  for  bread  ; 
and  Goldsmith  would  not  be  humiliated,  by  being  obliged 
to  adopt  the  verbal  criticisms  of  Mr.,  or  what  is  worse,  of 
Mrs.  Griffiths.  Booksellers,  authors,  and  readers  feel  a 
mutual  respect,  and  confer  on  each  other  reciprocal  bene- 
fits ;  and  the  literary  public  associate  in  thought,  the  names 
of  Murray  and  Byron ;  Moxon  and  Lamb ;  Prescott  and 
Phillips  ;  Irving  and  Putnam  ;  Longfellow  and  Fields  ;  and 
gratefully  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  author  and  the  bookseller." 

Few  are  better  versed  than  Mr.  Eider,  in  whatever 
relates  to  his  own  State,  llhode  Island  is  his  hobby,  and 
he  has  gathered  together  two  thousand  volumes  and  five 
thousand  pamphlets  relating  to  it.  The  purpose  of  this 
collection  is  to  illustrate  the  rise  and  progress  of  ideas,  the 
current  of  thought,  the  development  of  the  material  indus- 
tries, and  the  political  history  of  the  State,  from  the  earliest 
times  to  our  own  day.  Holding  this  end  in  view  this 
collector  has  carefully  preserved  every  book,  pamphlet,  and 
even  the  ephemeral  hand-bills,  or  broadsides,  which  have 
come  within  his  reach  :  every  one  being  indexed  and  num- 
bered, it  becomes  readily  accessible.  This  library,  doubt- 
less, contains  more  Rhode  Island  imprints  than  any  other. 
While,  therefore,  this  collection  contains  but  few  of  what 
enthusiastic  book  collectors  denominate  nuggets,  it  never- 


212 


31 B.    EIDER'S  LIB  BABY. 


theless  embraces  a  mass  of  material  which  the  future  histo- 
rian of  Rhode  Island  will  find  it  impossible  to  ignore. 
When  the  Rhode  Island  C  entennial  Report  on  Education 
wTas  being  prepared,  resort  to  this  library  was  absolutely 
necessary,  as  in  it  was  the  only  complete  set  of  reports  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  known  to  be  in  existence. 

The  collection  of  Dorr  War  literature  is  unsurpassed  ; 
indeed,  much  of  it  is  unique.  Its  catalogue  comprises 
upwards  of  two  hundred  titles,  besides  many  manuscripts. 
The  late  Hon.  Thomas  A.  Jenckes  had  purposed  writing, 
with  Mr.  Rider's  assistance  in  the  preparation,  a  narrative 
of  the  exciting  events  which  culminated,  in  1812,  in  the 
Dorr  War,  so  called,  and  finally  in  the  abolition  of  the  char- 
ter of  King  Charles  II.  No  one  could  have  been  better 
qualified  for  the  task  than  Mr.  Jenckes,  as,  during  that 
eventful  period,  he  was  clerk  of  the  Governor's  Council,  the 
Governor's  Private  Secretary,  and  one  of  the  clerks  of  the 
convention  that  framed  the  constitution.  In  this  Avay  he 
became  intimately  acquainted  with  all  the  men  and  the 
measures  of  the  time.  He  likewise  had  in  his  possession  a 
mass  of  material  accessible  to  no  one  else  —  private  letters 
to  Governor  King,  intercepted  correspondence  with  Gov- 
ernor Dorr,  captured  communications,  and  orders  to  the 
military.  Shortly  before  his  death  Mr.  Jenckes  gave  all 
these  documents  to  Mr.  Rider,  with  strict  injunctions  that 


MB.  BIDE IV  S  LIB  BABY. 


213 


they  be  kept  safely  for  the  benefit  of  posterity.  Such  a 
mark  of  confidence,  from  such  a  man,  is  the  most  significant 
tribute  that  could  have  been  paid  to  Mr.  Riders  zeal  for 
whatever  pertains  to  Rhode  Island.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
these  historical  treasures  will  sometime  find  their  way  into 
the  archives  of  the  State. 

Among  some  of  the  other  manuscripts  in  this  library 
are  the  original  Orderly-Book,  for  1776,  of  Colonel  Christo- 
pher Lippitt's  Regiment  of  the  famous  Rhode  Island  Line 
in  the  Revolutionary  War ;  the  Morning  and  Weekly 
Returns,  for  the  same  year,  of  Captain  Thomas  Carlile's 
Company  in  Colonel  Robert  Elliott's  Rhode  Island  Regi- 
ment of  Artillery ;  and  a  book  containing  the  original 
records  of  Courts  Martial  held,  in  1778  and  1779,  at  the 
Military  Headquarters  in  Providence.  By  editing  and  pub- 
lishing some  of  the  material  he  has  so  industriously  accu- 
mulated, Mr.  Rider  would  confer  a  benefit  upon  his  brother. 
Rhode-Islanders,  and  upon  scholars  everywhere. 

There  is  in  this  collection  an  unbroken  series  of  news- 
papers issued  in  Providence  and  extending  back  for  more 
than  a  hundred  years.  Mr.  Rider  is  now  engaged  upon  an 
index  of  their  contents  beginning  with  1820,  which  he  has 
thus  far  brought  down  to  the  year  1852. 

A  curious  specimen  of  Rhode  Island  literature  here  is 
a  manuscript  account  of  the  issues  of  Paper  Money,  from 


2U 


MR.  EIDER'S  LIBRARY. 


the  earliest,  in  1715,  to  the  last,  in  1786.  The  volume  is  a 
small  quarto,  and  is  illustrated  by  specimens  of  the  money 
of  every  denomination.  Portraits  and  autographs  further 
illustrate  the  text,  and  a  copy  of  the  great  trial  of  Trevett 
vs.  Weeden  appropriately  closes  the  volume. 

Another  distinctive  Rhode  Island  book  in  this  collection 
may  not  be  without  interest ;  not  for  its  literary  character, 
but  on  account  of  its  pictorial  and  autographic  illustrations. 
It  is  Rogers'  Oration  at  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of 
the  new  City  Hall  in  Providence,  June  twenty-fourth,  1875, 
extended  by  the  insertion  of  numerous  prints  of  persons 
and  places  relating  to  the  past  and  present  history  of  the 
State,  and  more  especially  of  the  city  of  Providence.  It 
contains  representations  of  well  known  churches,  manufac- 
tories, and  public  buildings,  the  frontispiece  being  the 
view  of  Providence  engraved  for  the  City  Bonds.  The 
likenesses  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  the  Mayor  of  the  City,  the  Grand  Master 
of  Masons,  the  City  Hall  Commissioners,  and  of  many 
others  of  the  distinguished  citizens  of  both  city  and  State, 
civil  and  military,  adorn  its  pages,  which,  with  several 
sheets  of  autographs  of  the  leading  State  and  city  officials, 
give  to  the  volume  a  somewhat  unique  appearance.  One 
sheet,  for  example,  contains  the  signatures  of  all  the  offi- 
cials connected  with  building  the  City  Hall ;  another  those 


MR.    B2 BE R'S  LIB  BABY. 


215 


of  the  Mayor  and  prominent  city  officers  ;  another  those  of 
the  Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  general  State 
officers;  and  still  another  those  of  the  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Rhode  Island.  The  State,  the  city,  and 
numerous  corporations  and  private  individuals  were  laid 
under  contribution  for  the  loan  of  plates  from  which  to 
strike  off  the  prints,  while  the  good  nature  of  the  numerous 
State  and  city  officials  was  taxed  for  signatures  ;  for  we  are 
informed  on  the  verso  of  the  title  leaf,  that  there  were 
"only  ten  copies  of  this  edition  printed,  all  illustrated  in 
this  style  on  large  paper,  for  presentation  by  the  orator." 

But  we  must  leave  Mr.  Eider  and  his  books.  Would 
that  more  booksellers  shared  his  literary  taste! — it  would 
aid  their  business,  and  their  customers  would  oftener  apply 
to  them  the  words  of  Byron  to  his  bookseller: — 

"I'm  thankful  for  your  books,  dear  Murray." 


THE  AUTHOR'S  OWN 
LIBRARY. 


THE  AUTHOR'S  OWE"  LIB E ART. 


Come,  and  take  choice  of  all  my  library. 

Titus  Andkonicus. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  reader  of  these  sketches,  on  being 
introduced  into  the  author's  own  sanctum,  will  appreciate 
his  feelings  of  delicacy,  and  will  look  indulgently  upon  the 
attempt  to  speak  of  this  collection,  and  to  describe  it,  with 
the  same  freedom  as  if  it  belonged  to  another. 

The  four  thousand  volumes,  and  upwards,  comprising 
the  bulk  of  the  library,  are  nearly  all  contained  in  a  room 
about  twenty  feet  square.  It  has  been  a  matter  of  study 
how  to  accommodate  the  largest  number  of  books  in  a  given 
space,  and  every  available  inch  has  been  utilized  for  that 
purpose.  Cases,  reaching  from  floor  to  ceiling,  line  the 
walls,  running  over  doors  and  windows,  so  that  books  meet 
the  eye  on  every  hand,  and  the  only  wall  space  not  covered 
with  books  is  the  panelling  above  the  wooden  mantel, 

26 


220 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIB  BABY. 


where  a  cluster  of  oil  paintings  relieve  with  bits  of  color  the 
otherwise  sombre  aspect  of  the  surroundings. 

These  books  have  been  gathered  with  some  such  views 
as  those  expressed  by  Judge  Story  in  this  passage  from  a 
letter  to  his  son: — "A  man  who  always  reads  in  one  line, 
soon  grows  dull,  and  ceases  to  think ;  and  change  of  study 
invigorates  as  well  as  amuses  the  mind."  Though  no  one 
specialty  rises  into  prominence,  there  are  several  clearly 
defined  lines  to  which  the  owner  has  given  much  attention. 
Specimens  of  various  interesting  classes  of  books,  the  bric-a- 
brac  of  literature,  so  to  speak,  are  particularly  noticeable, 
serving  as  practical  illustrations  of  the  books  and  the  book- 
making  of  different  periods  and  of  different  countries,  which 
it  would  be  difficult,  otherwise,  to  appreciate  or  describe. 

Here  is  a  Tamul  book  composed  of  strips  of  palm  leaf 
strung  together,  the  covers  being  of  wood.  The  leaves  are 
indented  on  both  sides  with  an  iron  stylus,  the  book  itself 
being  a  Dictionary  in  verse,  such  as  is  now  used  in  schools 
in  some  parts  of  the  East.  Here  too  is  a  fine  specimen  of 
Chinese  book-making.  Notwithstanding  its  size  —  seven  by 
ten  inches  square,  and  three  inches  thick — it  is  both  dura- 
ble and  extremely  light,  being  composed  of  delicate  rice 
paper  in  flexible  covers,  securely  bound,  or  tied  together, 
with  a  silken  cord.  It  contains  much  printed  matter,  a 
number  of  colored  maps,  and  a  large  number  of  wood-cuts. 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY.  221 

Its  symbolism  is  ingenious:  on  the  first  page  the  sun  and 
moon  are  just  rising ;  a  little  further  on  they  are  depicted  in 
the  full  glory  of  the  zenith  ;  while  at  the  end  of  the  volume 
they  are  represented  as  sinking  below  the  horizon. 

Three  missals  illustrate  how  books  appeared  before 
the  art  of  printing  was  invented.  Two  of  them  date  back 
five  hundred  years  or  more,  and  are  of  great  beauty.  One, 
the  vellum  of  which  is  as  clean  and  fresh  as  when  new,  is 
of  special  elegance.  In  addition  to  its  numerous  delicately 
executed  miniatures,  it  contains  a  large  number  of  illumin- 
ated initials  and  wide  heavy  borders  of  the  most  elaborate 
ornamentation.  It  is,  surely,  one  of  such  as  the  poet  refers 
to,  when  he  says — 

"Where  rude  designs  of  earlier  days 
Their  bright  unchanging  hues  unfold, 
And  all  th'  illumin'd  margins  blaze 
With  azure  skies,  and  stars  of  gold." 

Wood  engraving,  and,  incidentally,  early  printing,  have 
received  some  attention  in  this  library.  Upon  its  shelves  is 
a  Book  of  Hours  printed  on  vellum  by  Phillippe  Pigouchet, 
the  celebrated  Parisian  typographer,  who  flourished  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Besides  a  score  of 
good  sized  wood-cuts,  the  volume  contains  very  many  illu- 
minated initials,  and  each  page  has  elaborate  borders  com- 
posed mostly  of  scenes  from  the  life  of  Christ.  Dibdin 


222 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIB  BABY. 


says,  "  Pigouchet  in  the  naivete  of  the  old  school  calls  his 
own  types  'very  beautiful  and  pleasant.'"  A  good  example 
of  old  black  letter  is  a  little  book  chastely  bound  by  Selz- 
Niedree.  It  is  Dr.  Johannes  Abiosus'  Dialogue  in  Defence 
of  Astrology,  in  Latin,  and  it  was  printed  in  1494  at  the 
Venetian  press  of  Franciscus  Placida.  Notwithstanding  its 
clear  type  and  choice  binding,  to  its  owner  the  wood-cut 
adorning  the  title  page  gives  to  the  book  its  greatest 
value.  The  two  thousand  and  more  cuts  of  Pleydenwurff 
and  Wohlgemuth,  in  the  Nuremburg  Chronicle,  cannot  fail 
to  attract  the  notice  of  all  interested  in  wood  engraving. 
Hearne  quaintly  says  of  it,  "for  my  part  the  oftener  I  con- 
sult this  Chronicle,  the  more  I  wonder  at  the  things  in  it, 
and  I  cannot  but  esteem  the  book  as  extremely  pleasant, 
useful  and  curious,  by  reason  of  the  very  curious  odd  cuts." 
The  copy  in  this  collection  is  a  remarkably  fine  and  tall  one 
of  the  German  edition  of  1493,  and  is  complete,  containing 
the  map  on  the  last  two  leaves,  which  is  often  wanting. 

Here  are  a  hundred  wood-cuts  by  Lucas  Cranach :  sev- 
eral of  the  larger  ones  bear  the  flying  dragon  and  the  other 
devices  of  this  artist.  Lucas  Cranach  was  a  contemporary 
of  Albert  Durer,  having  lived  from  1470  to  1553.  Bryan 
says,  "his  wooden  cuts  are  deservedly  esteemed  by  the  curi- 
ous collector,"  and  that  his  works  "had  great  influence  on 
art,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  numerous  imitations  which  they 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY. 


223 


called  forth."  There  are  many  other  works  in  this  branch 
of  the  collection,  coming  down  to  our  own  day.  Of  Bewick 
there  are  the  largest  paper  copies  of  the  iEsop's  Fables 
(1818),  and  the  Select  Fables  (1820),  together  with  less 
noteworthy  copies  of  some  of  his  other  works ;  also  both 
series  of  Northcote's  Fables  in  first  editions,  and  on  large 
paper. 

Our  next  example,  after  leaving  wood  engraving,  shall 
be  the  Bibliotheca  Chalcographica,  which  is  a  collection  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  copper-plate  portraits  of  distin- 
guished men,  executed  by  the  De  Bry  family,  famous  for  its 
publications  of  early  voyages.  It  is  in  nine  parts,  the  first 
eight  of  which  were  published  at  Frankfort  in  1650-2,  and 
the  last  one  in  Heidelberg  in  1654.  The  first  five  parts  are 
by  the  De  Brys,  father  and  son,  over  one  hundred  of  the 
plates  bearing  the  monogram  of  the  father.  The  subse- 
quent parts  are  by  Clement  Ammon,  a  son-in-law  of  the 
elder  De  Bry,  and  by  other  engravers  less  known.  The 
volume  is  bound  in  pig  skin,  and  is  a  good  example  of  the 
binding  of  two  and  a  quarter  centuries  ago.  Murphy's 
Arabian  Antiquities  of  Spain,  issued  in  1813-16,  making  a 
stout  atlas  folio,  is  a  fine  volume  of  plates.  Dibdin  says  of 
it — "  For  nobleness  of  design,  splendour  of  execution,  and 
richness  of  material,  this  costly  volume  is  in  every  respect  a 
match  for  the  mighty  French  work  on  the  Antiquities  of 


224  THE  AUTHOB'S  L1BBABY. 

Egypt."  Here  is  a  collection  of  engravings  by  Charles 
Heath,  after  designs  by  Stothard,  Smirke,  Westall,  and 
others,  mostly  proofs  on  India  paper.  The  collection  was 
made  up  by  the  engraver  himself  for  Dawson  Turner, 
whose  autograph  it  bears.  Heath's  portrait  and  autograph 
letter  to  Turner  are  prefixed,  and  the  whole  is  bound  in  a 
single  volume  by  Hering.  Two  choice  volumes  are  quartos 
from  the  private  library  of  John  Major,  the  famous  pub- 
lisher ;  one  containing  proofs  before  letter  of  the  plates  of 
Walpole's  Anecdotes  of  Painting,  and  the  other  equally 
early  impressions  of  the  wood-cuts,  also  on  India  paper. 
Some  quartos  not  unworthy  of  mention,  perhaps,  are  an 
uncut  copy,  on  large  paper,  of  Lodge's  Portraits,  with  India 
proof  plates,  issued  in  1823-34  ;  a  large  paper  copy  of  Don 
Quixote,  the  edition  of  1818,  with  India  proofs  of  Smirke's 
plates,  from  the  Perkins  collection,  bound  by  Lewis  ;  the 
five  volumes  of  Hunter's  translation  of  Lavater's  Essays  on 
Physiognomy  published  in  1789-98;  and  Gibson's  Monas- 
tery of  Tynemouth,  in  two  volumes,  issued  by  Pickering 
in  1846,  one  of  twelve  copies  colored  by  hand. 

Here  is  a  collection  of  thirty-two  beautifully  finished 
little  paintings  by  George  P.  Rugendas,  measuring  for  the 
most  part  about  seven  by  twelve  inches  square.  Rugendas 
was  born  at  Angsbourg  in  1666,  where  he  died  in  1742. 
His  genius  led  him  to  paint  battles  and  skirmishes  of  cav- 


THE  AUT  HOB'S  LIB  BABY. 


225 


airy.  Bryan  says,  "Rugendas  merits  a  distinguished  place 
among  the  painters  of  battles :  ....  his  works  are 
found  in  the  choicest  collections  of  his  country."  The  first 
fourteen  of  these  paintings  are  delineations  of  armor  for 
man  and  horse,  and  they  are  prefaced  by  a  short  manuscript 
treatise  in  German  entitled,  Der  Harnisch  von  seinem 
Entstehen  bis  zuseinem  Wiedervergehen,  in  Bildern  dargestelt 
und  gezeichnetv.  G.  P.  Rugendas,  1714.  (Armor,  from  its 
origin  to  its  disuse,  portrayed  in  representations  drawn 
and  painted  by  G.  P.  Rugendas,  1714).  The  remainder 
are  representations  of  cavalry  and  skirmishes,  the  whole 
forming  a  most  attractive  collection.  We  cannot  find 
that  the  treatise  has  ever  been  printed,  or  that  many  of 
the  paintings  have  been  engraved,  though  Rugendas  was  an 
engraver  as  well  as  a  painter. 

There  are  many  works  relating  to  art,  and  many  lives 
of  artists.  A  Life  of  Turner  is  elaborately  illustrated  with 
inserted  engravings  of  his  works.  The  copy  of  Mrs.  Bray's 
Life  of  Stothard  is  exceptional.  It  is  inlaid  to  folio  size, 
and  extended  to  three  thick  volumes  by  the  insertion  of  six 
hundred  plates  after  Stothard's  designs,  all  fine  impressions, 
and  many  of  them  engraver's  proofs.  Each  volume  has  for 
a  frontispiece  an  engraved  likeness  of  the  artist,  each  differ- 
ing from  the  other.  Twenty-two  of  Stothard's  original 
drawings  in  India  ink  are  likewise  in  the  collection. 


226 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIB  BABY. 


The  department  of  bibliography  is  especially  strong. 
In  looking  over  the  cases  containing  it,  one  cannot  but 
recall — 

"  What  wild  desires,  what  restless  torments  seize 
The  hapless  man,  who  feels  the  book  disease." 

Here  are  Sotheby's  Principia  Typographica ;  Sir  Eger- 
ton  Brydges'  bibliographical  works,  including  the  scarce 
Res  Literarisef*  Lewis'  "Life  of  Mayster  Wyllyam  Caxton 
of  the  Weald  of  Kent"  (1737)  uncut,  as  well  as  Blades'  Cax- 
ton ;  both  editions  of  Martin's  Bibliographical  Catalogue  of 
Books  privately  printed,  the  first  of  which  is  on  large 
paper;  the  Repertorium  Bibliographicum,  illustrated  with 
numerous  inserted  plates  ;  and  Wood's  Athenre  Oxonienses, 
Bliss'  edition,  (1813-20).  Of  these  volumes  the  larger 
part  are  uncut.  One  of  the  volumes  of  Dibdin  deserves 
more  particular  mention.  It  is  the  Life  of  William 
Caxton,  together  with  the  Preliminary  Disquisition  on 
Early  Engraving  and  Ornamental  Printing,  from  the  first 
volume    of  Dibdin's    Ames    &   Herbert's  Typographical 


*The  three  volumes  of  this  work  were 
printed  at  different  times,  and  in  different 
places.  The  imprints  are  as  follows;  of 
the  first  volume,  "Naples,  Printed  by  C. 
Beranger,  1821;"  of  the  second  volume, 
"Rome:  Printed  by  Francesco  Bourlie 
March,  1821;"  and  of  the  third  volume, 


"Geneva,  Printed  by  W.  Fick,  MDCCCXXII. 
(75  copies  only.)"  From  this  nomadic 
style  of  printing,  it  is  doubtful  if  there  are 
more  than  two-thirds  as  many  complete 
sets  of  this  work,  as  there  were  single  vol- 
umes printed. 


THE  AUT HOB'S  LIB  BABY. 


227 


Antiquities.  An  autograph  letter  of  Dibdin  and  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-nine  cuts  and  plates  have  been  inserted,  and 
the  whole,  with  a  title-page  and  an  illuminated  title  to  the 
Life  of  Caxton,  both  made  expressly  for  this  book,  forms  a 
stout,  handsome  volume.*  The  copy  of  the  "Bibliotheca 
Grenvilliana,  or  Bibliographical  Notices  of  Rare  and  Curi- 
ous Books,  forming  part  of  the  Library  of  the  Right  Hon. 
Thomas  Grenville,"  is  one  of  the  few  printed  on  large 
paper,  and  is  a  presentation  copy,  with  this  inscription  on  a 
fly  leaf  of  the  first  volume  —  "With  Mr.  Grenville's  Com- 
pliments."   The  set  of  Libri's  Catalogues,  in  eight  volumes, 


*The  copy  of  Dibdin's  Library  Corapan- 
ion,  in  this  collection,  contains  a  cancelled 
title-page,  and  a  number  of  cancelled 
leaves;  likewise  two  receipts,  one  in  the 
writing  of  Dibdin,  and  the  other  in  that  of 
Richard  Thomson.  The  receipts  are  as 
follows  :— 

"  London  Dec'r  30,  1822. 
Received  from  Messrs.  Harding,  Mavor 
&  Lepard  and  Mr.  John  Major,  Six  Hun- 
dred Pounds  for  the  whole  of  my  interest 
in  the  Copyright  of  a  work  to  be  entitled 
'The  Library  Companion'  now  printing, 
and  which  work  I  engage  to  finish  com- 
plete with  Title  page,  Index  &  Table  of 
Contents  so  that  the  same  may  be  pub- 
lished in  May  1823,  in  which  case  I  am  to 
be  entitled  to  one  hundred  pounds  more, 
subject  to  the  stipulations  in  a  letter  from 
Joseph  Harding  to  John  Major,  dated 
Dec'r  27, 1822,  and  subscribed  by  myself.  I 

27 


also  agi'ee  to  edit  and  correct  future  edi- 
tions of  the  said  work  and  to  revise  the 
same  through  the  press  whenever  called 
upon  so  to  do  by  the  aforesaid  Messrs. 
Harding  &  Co.  and  Jno.  Major  or  their 
assigns  upon  payment  of  one  hundred 
pounds  for  every  edition  so  edited  and 
corrected  by  me,  and  I  hei-eby  promise  to 
give  the  said  parties  or  their  assigns  a 
further  assignment  of  the  copyright  of 
the  said  work  at  their  expence,  when- 
required. 

£600.  0.  0.  T.  F.  DIBDIN." 

"  London  28th  Jan'y  1825. 

Received  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  Rev'd 
T.  F.  Dibdin's  Library  Companion  the  sum 
of  Twenty-six  Pounds  Five  Shillings,  for 
compiling  the  Synoptical  Table  and  Index 
to  that  volume. 

£26.5.  R'D  THOMSON." 


228 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY. 


includes  the  prices  and  purchasers'  names,  and  comprises 
two  copies  of  the  Reserved  Part,  one  in  French  and  the 
other  in  English.  Bound  up  uniform  with  these  is  a  col- 
lection of  seventeen  pamphlets  relating  to  the  remarkable 
charge  against  Libri  of  wholesale  theft  of  books. 

Of  works  relating  to  the  bibliography  of  America, 
the  most  noticeable  is  Ternaux's  Bibliotheque  Americaine. 
The  most  fastidious  could  desire  nothing  better  than  this 
copy.  It  is  interleaved,  on  large  paper,  uncut,  and  in 
choice  binding.  The  three  volumes  of  Rich's  Catalogues  of 
books  relating  to  America  are  in  fine  order,  and  the  copy  of 
White  Kennett's  Bibliothecce  Americana  Primordia  (1713),  is 
said  to  be  on  large  paper.  Ludewig's  Literature  of  Ameri- 
can Local  History  is  valuable  and  interesting,  as  it  contains 
Ludewig's  own  manuscript  notes  preparatory  to  a  new 
edition. 

English  classical  literature  is  well  represented  in 
unexceptionable  editions  and  in  faultless  condition  —  the 
handy-work  of  Baskerville,  Pickering,  Talboys,  and  other 
approved  typographers,  and  bound  by  Hayday,  Bedford, 
Riviere,  Bradstreet  and  others. 

There  is  a  dainty  little  group  here  relating  to  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  including  a  number  of  memoirs  of  his  life, 
and  several  different  editions  of  his  works.  Of  these  the 
Boston  edition  of  his  works,  1860,  and  Zouch's  Memoirs  of 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY. 


229 


his  life,  are  elaborately  illustrated  with  inserted  plates,  the 
latter  also  having  the  privately  printed  Sidney  Pedigree. 
Lloyd's  Life  is  the  daintiest  of  this  dainty  group.  It  is  pro- 
fusely illustrated  with  inserted  plates,  and  it  is  bound  in 
full  scarlet  levant  morocco :  the  covers  are  lined  with  the 
same,  being  inlaid  with  different  colored  leather  most  elabo- 
rately tooled.  The  first  and  last  fly  leaves  are  green 
watered  silk,  bordered  with  a  fillet  of  gold.  The  work  is 
hand-tooled  throughout. 

A  meet  companion  for  this  group  is  a  copy  of  44  Cer- 
taine  Learned  and  Elegant  Workes  of  the  Right  Honora- 
ble Fvlke  Lord  Brooke,  Written  in  his  Youth,  and  familiar 
Exercise  with  Sir  Philip  Sidney,"  a  quarto  printed  in  1633. 
This  is  the  loving  testimony  of  Fulke  Greville,  just  referred 
to,  in  regard  to  his  friend  Sir  Philip  Sidney: — 44 1  lived 
with  him  and  knew  him  from  a  child,  yet  I  never  knew 
him  other  than  a  man,  with  such  staidness  of  mind,  lovely 
and  familiar  gravity,  as  carried  grace  and  reverence  above 
greater  years."  Among  other  interesting  works,  dating 
back  two  hundred  years,  are  44  The  Remains  of  Sir  Fulk 
Grevill  Lord  Brooke  :  Being  Poems  of  Monarchy  and  Relig- 
ion :  Never  before  printed,"  issued  in  1670;  44  Recreations 
with  the  Muses,  by  William,  Earle  of  Sterline,"  a  folio 
printed  in  1637;  and  the  Life  of  Merlin,  by  Thomas  Hey- 
wood,  a  small  quarto  published  in  1641,  with  a  frontispiece 
by  Hollar. 


230 


THE  AUT HOB'S  LIB  BABY. 


The  time  of  the  Stuarts  has  been  selected  as  a  centre 
round  which  to  group  historical  works,  and  here  are 
numerous  contemporary  tracts  of  that  period,  prominent 
among  which  is  a  collection  relating  to  the  "  Horrid  Popish 
Plot." 

The  "Ancient  Critical  Essays  upon  English  Poets  and 
Poesy,"  edited  by  Joseph  Haslewood,  is  a  presentation  copy 
to  Thomas  Park,  and  contains  many  manuscript  notes  by 
both  editor  and  printer,  several  duplicates  of  the  wood-cuts 
in  fancy  colored  ink,  only  twelve  impressions  of  each  having 
been  so  taken,  and  likewise  this  quaint  dedication  to  the 
first  volume  ; — "  To  Maister  Josephe  Hardynge,  thatt  hys 
zeale  as  a  pryntere  maie  not  be  forgotene,  and  forr  a  fayth- 
full  recorde  off  hys  yndustrie  and  perseueraunce  ynn  trann- 
scrybynge  the  whole  of  A  Discourse  of  Englishe  Poetrie,  by 
William  Webbe,  Graduate,  vvithinn  thy r tie  two  houres 
and  fortie  flue  minits,  to  supplie  the  presse  forr  the  presente 
reprynte.  The  onley  copie  hauinge  thys  syngle  leafe  ys 
ynscrybed  by  hys  faythfull  fryend  Josephe  Haslevvoode." 

Johnson's  Lives  of  the  Most  Eminent  English  Poets, 
printed  in  1790,  was  Boswell's  own  copy.  It  bears  his 
autograph,  "James  Boswell,  London,  1793,"  and  contains 
sundry  notes  and  remarks  by  him  in  pencil,  all  quite  legible 
and  well  preserved.  It  was  sold  with  Boswell's  other  books 
in  1825.    The  Book  of  Saint  Albans,  the  reprint  of  1810 


THE  AUT HOB'S  LIB  BABY. 


231 


from  Wynkyn  de  Worde's  edition  of  1496,  a  small  folio,  of 
which  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  copies  were  reprinted,  is 
one  of  the  very  few  copies  having  all  the  coats  of  arms 
finished  in  colors :  it  also  has  an  extra  plate,  a  proof  on 
India  paper,  of  the  man  fijssljgnge  fogtb  an  angle* 

Of  books  illustrated  with  inserted  plates,  besides  those 
which  have  been  mentioned,  the  most  noteworthy  are  Bry- 
an's Dictionary  of  Painters  and  Engravers  extended  to  four 
volumes  with  six  hundred  portraits ;  Ottley's  Supplement 
illustrated  in  the  same  manner;  Cromwelliana ;  a  "Tract 
entitled  True  and  Faithful  Relation  of  a  Worthy  Discourse 
between  Colonel  John  Hampden  and  Colonel  Oliver  Crom- 
well;" the  Diary  of  Lady  Cowper;  Nicolas'  Literary  Remains 
of  Lady  Jane  Grey,  a  large  paper  copy  on  drawing  paper ; 
Hillier's  King  Charles  in  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  Fitzgerald's 
Life  of  Garrick  ;  Knight's  Passages  of  a  Working  Life,  etc. 
Of  American  works  are  Irvingiana,  with  upwards  of  one 
hundred  portraits,  views,  &c. ;  the  Treason  of  General 
Charles  Lee  ;  the  Character  and  Portraits  of  Washington  ; 
and  Washington's  Diary.  These  last  two  books  contain, 
besides  their  other  illustrations,  a  large  number  of  engrav- 
ings from  authentic  portraits  of  Washington,  a  long  auto- 
graph letter  of  Washington,  a  soldier's  discharge  made  out 
by  General  Gates,  and  other  literary  curiosities.  Washing- 
ton's letter,  which  covers  three  pages  of  letter-paper,  is 


232 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY. 


dated  March  twentieth,  1799,  is  addressed  to  Henry 
Laurens,  the  President  of  the  Continental  Congress,  and 
contains  his  views  in  regard  to  arming  slaves  and  enlisting 
them  in  our  army. 

While  this  collector  does  not  make  a  specialty  of 
Americana,  he  nevertheless  possesses  some  works  of  interest 
in  that  department.  His  copy  of  Colonel  Simcoe's  Journal, 
issued  in  1787,  is  of  the  "excessively  rare  original  edition." 
to  borrow  Mr.  Sabin's  words ;  and  his  three  volumes  of 
Backus'  History  of  the  Baptists  (1777-1796),  are  uncut. 

General  Burgoyne's  campaign  forms  the  centre  of  an 
interesting  cluster  of  works,  one  of  which  is  specially 
noticeable  from  containing  the  opinions  and  contemporary 
testimony  of  a  British  officer,  who  afterwards  attained  high 
rank.  It  is  in  manuscript  and  unpublished.  Major  General 
James  M.  Hadden,  of  the  Royal  Artillery,  began  his  mili- 
tary career  as  a  Second  Lieutenant  in  America,  serving 
under  General  Burgoyne  until  that  officer's  surrender,  in 
which  he  was  included.  He  subsequently  served  upon  the 
staff  of  the  British  army  in  various  capacities,  and  was 
made  a  Major  General  in  1811.  From  his  embarkation 
from  England,  March  fourth,  1776,  until  the  close  of  the 
Battle  of  Stillwater,  or  Bemis'  Heights,  as  sometimes  called, 
he  kept  a  journal  of  passing  events.  At  Stillwater  every 
officer  in  Captain  Jones'  Artillery  Brigade,  in  Burgoyne's 
Right  Wing,  was  killed  or  wounded,  except  Lieutenant 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIBRARY. 


233 


Hadden,  and  he  received  a  bullet  through  his  cap.  The 
pressure  of  duty  caused  by  this  dearth  of  officers,  coupled 
with  the  multiplying  embarrassments  of  the  British  Army, 
were  doubtless  the  reasons  for  discontinuing  his  journal. 
This  manuscript,  with  its  beautifully  drawn  maps,  in  two 
thick  pocket-memorandum-books,  is  in  this  collection,  as 
also  are  several  manuscript  Orderly-Books  kept  by  him,  in 
which  are  the  orders  issued  by  General  Burgoyne,  and 
especially  by  Major  General  Phillips,  to  whose  Division 
Lieutenant  Hadden  was  attached.* 

It  is  related  of  the  Poet  Southey  that,  in  his  latter  days 
when  his  mind  had  become  impaired,  he  had  no  difficulty 


*A  few  extracts  from  Lieutenant  Had- 
den's  Journal  may  not  be  without  inter- 
est. Writing  in  the  Summer  of  1776  he 
says:— "I  heard  Gen'l  Burgoyne  declare 
that  a  Thousand  Savages  brought  into  the 
Field  cost  more  than  20,000  Men."  Again 
he  says:  "From  July  14th  to  the  25th" 
(1777)  "we  were  employed  in  bringing 
forward  the  Guns,  Stores  and  Provisions; 
and  in  transporting  Gun  Boats  and  Bat- 
teaux  from  the  Saw  Mill's  Creek,  to  Lake 
George.  The  Road  is  tolerable  level,  and 
where  it  wanted  repairs  the  Rebel  Prison- 
ers were  employed  being  furnish'd  with 
Tools  and  working  under  a  Guard :  We 
had  about  Two  hundred  of  them  confined 
in  a  Barn,  and  those  who  were  not  wanted 
either  for  the  above  purpose  or  Removing 
Guns  and  Stores,  amused  themselves  in 
beating  Hemp.  These  measures  certainly 
were  not  justifiable,  they  were  it  is  true, 


allowed  Rum  in  common  with  other 
fatigue  Parties,  and  upon  the  whole  'twas 
better  than  close  confinement,  but  it 
ought  to  have  been  optional;  they  shou'd 
either  have  been  considered  as  Prisoners 
of  War  or  Rebels.  The  Brutality  of  Major 
W.  induced  him  to  bring  out  these 
unhappy  wretches  and  parade  them  in 
the  Rear  of  the  Troops  when  the  Feu  de 
jot/e  was  fired  upon  our  late  successes: 
some  of  them  felt  the  insult,  but  others 
threw  up  their  Caps  and  Huzza'd  with  the 
Troops  in  spite  of  many  pushes  from 
their  Comrades.  Their  Officers  were  sent 
to  Canada  on  Parole." 

In  speaking  of  the  Battle  of  Bennington 
Lieutenant  Hadden  very  severely  criti- 
cises the  employment  of  heavy  German 
dismounted  cavalry,  "  with  Swords  weigh- 
ing at  least  10  or  12  Pounds,  particu- 
larly as  Dragoons  cannot  be  expected  to 


234 


THE  AUTHOR'S  LIB  BABY. 


in  finding  his  way  into  his  library,  but  that,  without  guid- 
ance, he  could  never  find  his  way  out.  Hoping  to  avoid  the 
imputation  of  a  similar  weakness,  the  author  will  now  con- 
duct the  reader  out  of  this  library  with  one  further  remark 
only.  It  is  apparent  from  the  progress  he  has  already 
made  that  this  collector  possesses  some  zeal  on  the  subject 
of  books,  and  one  is  reminded  of  Montesinos  in  Southey's 
Colloquies : — 

"Why,  Montesinos,  with  these  books,  and  the  delight 
you  take  in  their  constant  society,  what  have  you  to  covet 
or  desire  ? 

Montesinos:  Nothing, —  except  more  books." 


march  unci  raanouvre  well  on  Foot  and  be 
expert  at  Treeing  or  Bush  fighting,  a  task 
the  British  Light  Infantry  of  this  Army 
are  not  fully  equal  to."  It  will  he  remem- 
bered that,  in  that  action,  the  British 
troops  were  beaten  in  detail,  Colonel 
Baum  being  first  defeated,  and  afterwards 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Brymen,  who  had 
been  sent  to  Baum's  relief,  but  whose 
tardy  movements  did  not  allow  his  effect- 
ing a  junction  before  Baum's  force  was 
routed.  Lieutenant  Hadden  says:  "A 
report  is  current  in  the  Army  that  an  old 
picque  between  Brymen  and  Baume  might 
occasion  his  tardiness,  as  he  was  heard  to 
say  '  We  will  let  them  get  warm  before  we 
reach  them,'  when  he  heard  the  firing:  It 
seems  to  have  been  reserved  for  him  to 
give  the  last  blow,  as,  to  lay  the  fault 
wholly  on  his  Shoulders,  wou'd  certainly 
be  unjust  when  almost  every  person  con- 


cerned seems  to  have  had  a  principal 
share  in  the  disaster." 

The  Battle  of  Stillwater,  on  Friday,  Sep- 
tember  nineteenth,  1777,  commenced  with 
the  British  pickets,  one  hundred  rank  and 
file,  under  Major  Forbes  of  the  Ninth 
Regiment,  being  driven  in,  and  Lieuten- 
ant Iladden,  in  describing  it,  saj's  —  "  The 
British  troops  halted  and  formed  'till  the 
whole  of  Major  Forbes'  party  came  in  — 
and  having  commenced  a  fire  without 
orders,  by  which  many  of  our  own  people 
were  killed  in  retreating,  Major  Kingston 
proposed  the  firing  a  Gun  to  check  it, 
Which  had  the  desired  effect,  and  by  that 
accident  I  fii'ed  the  first  'Shot  from  the 
main  body  of  this  Army." 

It  is  proposed  to  print  Lieutenant  Had- 
den's  Journal  in  the  series  of  "Rhode 
Island  Historical  Tracts,"  now  being  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Ridei*. 


CONCLUSION. 


CONCLUSION". 


Let  every  man,  if  possible,  gather  some  good  books  under  his  roof. 

Channing. 

"Later  experience,"  wrote  Tom  Hood  from  a  sick-bed 
in  1843,  "enables  me  to  depose  to  the  comfort  and  blessing 
that  literature  can  prove  in  seasons  of  sickness  and  sor- 
row,— how  powerfully  intellectual  pursuits  can  help  in 
keeping  the  head  from  crazing,  and  the  heart  from  break- 
ing,—  nay,  not  to  be  too  grave,  how  generous  mental  food 
can  even  atone  for  a  meagre  diet — rich  fare  on  the  paper 
for  short  commons  on  the  cloth."  If  literature  can  thus 
affect  the  cultured  mind  it  is  not  surprising  in  these  days  of 
steam-presses  that  many  households  are  well  supplied  with 
books.  For  this  reason  it  is  difficult,  in  an  attempt  of  this 
kind,  to  determine  exactly  where  to  stop. 

The  scholarly  tastes  of  men  like  Professor  William 
Gammell  and  Professor  J.  Lewis  Diman,  for  example,  have 


238  CONCLUSION. 

stored  their  shelves  with  many  books.  The  four  thousand 
volumes,  and  upwards,  of  Mr.  Arnold  Green,  embrace  a 
large  amount  of  historical  matter,  much  standard  literature, 
some  scientific  works,  and  not  a  little,  in  various  foreign 
languages,  upon  the  civil  law,  in  addition  to  his  law  library 
proper ;  and  all  together  form  a  collection  considerably 
larger  than  some  we  have  described.  The  character  of  the 
collection  brings  to  mind  the  remark  of  Mr.  Counsellor 
Pleydell  in  Guy  Mannering.  "  These,"  said  Mr.  Pleydell  in 
speaking  of  his  library,  "are  my  tools  of  trade.  A  lawyer 
without  history  or  literature  is  a  mechanic,  a  mere  working 
mason ;  if  he  possesses  some  knowedge  of  these,  he  may 
venture  to  call  himself  an  architect." 

A  number  of  gentlemen,  like  Mr.  Charles  Morris  Smith 
and  Mr.  James  W.  Taft,  for  example,  have  excellent  libra- 
ries; as  large  in  number,  and  in  every  way  as  worthy  of 
notice,  perhaps,  as  some  we  have  described.  The  collec- 
tion of  Mr.  Stephen  T.  Olney  is  a  very  marked  one.  Its 
botanical  department,  especially  in  the  genus  Carex, 
is  unsurpassed  in  this  vicinity.  The  fact  that,  when  Mr. 
Olney  went  to  Europe,  his  books  were  all  packed  in 
boxes  and  stored,  not  yet  having  been  unpacked,  and  it 
being  very  questionable  when  they  will  be,  has  alone  pre- 
vented our  giving  a  more  extended  description  of  them. 
Mr.  Isaac  C.  Bates  has  a  promising  collection  of  engravings 


CONCL  USION. 


239 


and  illustrated  books,  and  if  it  continues  to  grow  in  the 
future  as  it  has  in  the  past,  it  will  be  equalled  by  few 
in  this  vicinity. 

In  these  modern  days  nearly  every  house  of  any  pre- 
tension has  a  room  that  is  dignified  with  the  name  of  the 
library.  It  contains  the  conventional  book-case,  but  a 
glance  too  often  discloses  a  paucity  of  volumes,  or  a  poverty 
of  literary  taste  in  selection,  that  makes  that  respectable 
article  of  furniture  a  monument  of  the  ignorance,  rather 
than  of  the  intelligence  of  the  household.  An  heterogene- 
ous mass  of  odd  volumes  of  magazines,  or  of  popular 
novels,  or  of  cheap  subscription  books,  et  id  omne  genus,  is  a 
melancholy  spectacle.  Indeed,  we  had  even  rather  see  that 
other  kind  of  library,  in  which  books  are  little  better  than 
articles  of  fashionable  furniture,  and  which  recalls  what 
Southey  says.  "  I  have  seen  a  Wiltshire  clothier,"  he  writes 
in  one  of  his  letters,  "who  gave  his  bookseller  no  other 
instructions  than  the  dimensions  of  his  shelves  ;  and  have 
just  heard  of  a  Liverpool  merchant  who  is  fitting  up  a 
library,  and  has  told  his  bibliopole  to  send  him  Shakespeare, 
and  Milton,  and  Pope,  and  if  any  of  those  fellows  publish 
anything  new,  to  let  him  have  it  immediately."  Such  a 
man  in  his  library  seems  to  us  like  one  in  clothes  made  for 
another,  which  do  not  fit. 

It  will  be  seen  from  what  has  been  said,  that  the  scope 


240 


CONCL  USION. 


of  this  attempt  is  not  intended  to  embrace  all  the  private 
libraries  of  Providence.  It  is  not  easy  to  say  how  small  a 
collection  of  books  must  be,  to  exclude  it  from  the  definition 
of  the  word,  library  ;  and  numbers,  certainly,  are  a  very 
poor  criterion  of  the  value  of  books.  The  libraries  men- 
tioned have  been  selected,  either  because  they  are  the  best, 
or  because,  though  perhaps  not  better  than  others,  they  are 
fair  representatives  of  the  class  to  which  they  belong. 

When  we  consider  how  many  fine  collections  of  books 
there  are  in  Providence,  a  city  of  but  a  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  we  cannot  but  think  it  fortunate  in  its  literary 
possessions.  Many  of  its  book-lovers  might  doubtless  say 
with  Macaulay,  in  the  words  addressed  to  his  little  niece  — 
"I  would  rather  be  a  poor  man  in  a  garret  with  plenty  of 
books  than  a  king  who  did  not  love  reading." 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


Aa,  Vander,  Voyages  of   85 

Abiosus,  Dr.  Johannes,  on  Astrology..  222 

Ablyn's  Voyages   85 

Acosta,  Works  of   84 

Addison  on  Thomas  Rawlinson  as  Tom 

Folio   31 

^Esop's  Fables   152,223 

Affaires  de  l'Angleterre  et  de  PAmer- 

ique   93 

Ailly,  Pierre  d',  Imago  Mundi  of   72 

Albans,  Book  of  Saint   230 

Aldus,  Books  printed  by,  in  Libri  sale.  45 

Classics  printed  by   100 

Hypnerotomachia  printed  by..  189 
Alison,  Sir  Archibald,  on  lack  of  his- 
torical records  in  America   69 

Allan,  John,  his  various  collections...  5,  6 

Alphonso  I.,  Book-love  of   9 

Alvearie,  by  Barrett   140 

America,  Books  on  69-99 

How  it  received  its  name   73 

Specialty  of  Brown  Libraiy.  71 

American  Broadside-Ballads   199 

Chap-Books   198 

Poetry   195 

Song-Books   199 

Andrade,  Jose  Maria,  Library  of.   11 

Anglo-Saxons,  Book  love  of   26 

Anthropological  Journal   139 

29 


Apianus,  Peter,  Cosmography  of   72 

Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments   155 

Archaeologia   139 

Arctic  explorations,  Works  on  138 

Aristotle's  library   25 

Works   173 

Arnold,  Ernst,  Statements  of,  relating 

to  Muller   184 

Asay,  E.  G.,  Books  of   53 

Asia  and  Asia  Minor,  Works  on   138 

Askew,  Dr.  Anthony,  Book-love  of.....  34 

Aspasia,  Book-love  of   20 

Audiffret,  Marquis  d',  Testimony  of,  as 

to  Libri   44 

Audsley  and  Bowes'  Keramic  Art  of 

Japan   154 

Aurl,  Leonhardus,  Types  of.   126 

Autographs  12,  145 

Back's  Ai-ctic  explorations   138 

Backus'  History  of  the  Baptists  232 

Bacon,  Francis,  Works  of,  on  vellum..  150 

Ball,  The  Officers'  198 

Ballads,  American   199 

Bancroft,  George,  on  Franklin,  Deane, 

and  Lee   119 

Hubert  H.,  Books  of,  from 

Maximilian's  sale   12 

Library  of   53 


INDEX. 


244 

Bansley,  Charles, His  Pryde  and  Abuse 

of  Women   152 

Barclay's  Apology   121 

Barlow,  S.  L.  M.,  Harrisse  on  his  library  74 

Barrett's  Alvearie   140 

Bartlett,  John  R.,  Catalogue  of  Brown 

Library   103 

Library  of   135 

Works  of   136,  140,  142,  144 

Bates,  Isaac  C,  Engravings  and  Illus- 
trated books  of  238 

Bay  Psalm  Book  195 

Beauclerk,  Topham,  Books  of   34 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  Works  of  193 

Beechey's  Arctic  Explorations   138 

Beham,  H.  S.,  Wood-cuts  by   191 

Benzoni,  Works  of   84 

Bernard,  Charles,  Library  of   29 

Bernard,  Francis,  Library  of.   29 

Sale  of  his  Caxtons.  37 
Berners,  Lord,  his  Arthur  of  Little 

Britain   153 

Bewick's  Works   158,  171,  223 

Bible,  Manuscript   125 

Bibles,  Collections  of   60 

Bibliography   130,  160,  172,  178,  226 

Bibliomaniac,  The,  a  periodical  issued 

by  S.  S.  Rider   205 

Bibliotheca  Anglo  Poetica   172 

Chalcographica   223 

Diabolica   61 

Grenvilliana   227 

Blandford,  Marquis  of,  Descent  of.   41 

Purchase  of  Valdarfer 

Boccaccio   35 

Sale  of  same   36 

Block-Books  41,  44, 188 

Blomefield's  History  of  Norfolk   63 

Boccace's  De  la  Genealogie  des  Dieux.  191 
Boccaccio,  Sale  of  Valdarfer  35,  36 


Bonaparte,  Napoleon,  Book-love  of   10 


Bonelli,  Cardinal,  Book-love  of   19 

Books,  Antiquity  of   25 

Bishop  Hall  on   208 

Charles  V.'s  meagre  array  of. ..  162 

Dr.  Channing  on   25 

Dr.  Johnson's  dislike  of  well 

bound  books   161 

Fenelonon   3 

Frederick  the  Great  on   9 

George  Dyer  on   135 

Gibbon's    partiality   for  well 

bound  books   161 

Lord  Macaulay  on   240 

Milton  on  202 

Mrs.  Browning  on.   4 

Richard  de  Bury  on   3,27 

Robert  Burton  on   8 

Rufus  Choate's  precept  on   3 

Southey  on  defacing  145 

on  ill-assorted  239 

Tom  Hood  on...  237 

Various  materials  of.    25 

Win.  Wordsworth  on   8 

Book-bindings   64 

In  human  skin   65 

In  skins  of  various  animals. . .  65 

Of  Catharine  de  Medicis   64 

Count  d'Hoym   45 

Diana  of  Poictiers   21 

Frederick  the  Great   9 

French  Kings     64 

Grollier  27,  45 

Harleian  Library   33 

Henry  III   64 

Lady  Lucan's  Shakespeare.  63 

Libri   45 

Lucie  n  Rosny   65 

Maioli  27,  45 

N.  Bonaparte   10 


INDEX. 


245 


Book-bindings,  of  President  De  Thou,  28,  45 

Robert  Southey   50 

Royal  C.Taft  150, 153 

Rook-collectors,  Various  classes  of, 

8,  12,  17,  18,  20 

Rook-sales  in  London  in  1806-7   35 

Roston  Public  Library,  Prince  Library 

now  in   51 

Bos  well's  copy  of  Johnson's  Poets   230 

Johnson   101 

Rotany,  Works  on  161,  238 

Rotta  and  Flandin's  Work  137 

Routon,  J.  W.,  Illustrated  Shakespeare 

of   63 

Rowyer's  Hume's  England   154 

Boydell's  Milton   154 

Shakespeare   128,  154 

Rraddock,  Manuscript  letters  of  Gen'l.  114 
Bradford's  press  subsidized  in  Rhode 

Island   121 

Bradford,  William,  Imprints  of  120 

Bradstreet,  Annie,  Tenth  Muse  of  196 

Brant's  Stultifera  Navis    76 

Brantome  on  Diana  of  Poictiers    22 

Bray,  Mrs.,  her  Life  of  Stothard        155,  225 

Brinley,  George,  Books  of.   53 

British  Museum,  Bibles  in   61 

Grenville  Library  given  to. . .  42 

Britton,  Thomas,  Book-love  of   13 

Taste   of,   for  music  and 

chemistry   13 

Brooke,  Lord,  Works  of   229 

Brown,  John  Carter,  Library  of.   69 

Catalogue  of  his  books...  70, 103 

Browne,  Irving,  Books  of   53 

Browning,  Mrs.,  on  books   4 

Bruce's  Roman  Wall   140 

Brunet's  Manual  172 

Brunet  on  De  Bry   88 

Bryan's  Dictionary  of  Painters         144,  231 


Brydges,  Sir  Egerton,  Works  of. . . .  172,  226 

Bullock's  Virginia   117 

Burgoyne's  Campaign,  Books  relating 

to   232 

Burns'  Poems,  Kilmarnock  edition  of.  194 

Burns  on  appearance  of  his  poets  158 

Burton,  William  E.,  Books  of   53 

Illustrated  Shakespeare  of. .  63 

Bury,  Richard  de,  on  books   3 

Rook-love  of   26 

Philobiblon  of   26 

Rury  St.  Edmunds,  Library  of.   65 

Ryron's  English  Rards  157, 177 

Gamer's  Solinus' Polyhistoria   73 

Campanius'  New  Sweden  117 

Canes,  Lahlache's  fondness  for   5 

Canton  Register   138 

Cardinals,  Book-love  of   18 

Carlile,  Capt.  Thomas,  Returns  of  his 

Company    213 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  on  John  Pine  156 

Caxton,  William,  Rooks  printed  by. ...  29 
Rooks  printed  by  Executors  of  100 
"  "  Prices  of....  36 

Illustrated  Life  of.  226 

Lewis'  Life  of.  '226 

Life   and  typography  of,  by 

Rlades  226 

Chalcographica,  Ribliotheca,  223 

Chalkhill,  John   151 

Chalmers'  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots   143 

Champlain's  Voyages   92 

Chap-Rooks,  American   198 

English   202 

Charlemont,  Lord,  his  Caxton's  Poly- 

cronicon   37 

Charles  V.,  Rooks  of  162 

Charlevoix's  Works   92 

Chemistry,  T.  Britton's  taste  for   13 


246 


INDEX. 


China,  Prices  paid  for   7 

Chinese  book.  220 

Choate,  Rufus,  His  precept  as  to  hooks  3 
His  copy  of  Harleian  Miscellany  172 

Cicero's  Book-love  ,  26 

Claghorn,  James  L.,  Prints  of   53 

Clarke,  John,  Works  of   99 

Clarke,  W.,  Repertorium  Bioliographi- 

cum   226 

Clear  Sunshine  of  the  Gospel,  &c   118 

Clergy,  Book-love  of  the  17-19 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  and  Earl  Cornwal- 

lis,  Correspondence  between. .  118 

Manuscript  Notes  of   91 

Coddington,  William,  Works  of   99 

Coins,  Prices  of  American   6 

Colden's  Works   91 

Coleridge,  S.  T.,  Autograph  letter  of. . .  159 

His  book-bescribbling   162 

On  Poetry   159 

Works  of   159 

Colonial  Printers,  Subsidies  to,  122, 123,  124 

Colonna's  Hypnerotomachia   189 

Columbus'  letter   75 

Columbus,  Fernando,  Library  of   75 

Commelyn's  Voyages   85 

Compano,  Niccolo,  Imperia,  a  disciple 

of   21 

Complutensian  Bible   100 

Constitution  of  French  Republic   65 

Conventional  libraries  239 

Cooke,  Joseph  J.,  Library  of.  109 

Cornwallis,  Earl,  and  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, Correspondence  between  118 

Cortes'  Relations   81 

Cotton's  Angler   151 

Cotton,  John,  His  Works   96 

Sir  John,  His  gift  to  British 

Museum   29 

Sir  Robert,  Library  of.   29 


Cotton,  Sir  Robert,  Specialty  of  his 

library   60 

Courtesans,  Book-love  of   20,  21,  22,  23 

Courts-Martial  in  Providence,  Records 

of    213 

Cowper,  Diary  of  Lady   231 

William,  Task  of   176 

Cranach,  Lucas,  Cuts  of  171,  222 

Cranz's  Works  on  Greenland     92 

Crisis,  The    93 

Cromwell  and  Hampden,  Tract  relat- 
ing to  231 

Cromwelliana   231 

Crossley,  James,  discovers  Franklin's 
Dissertation  on  Liberty  and  Neces- 
sity, &c   98 

Cunningham's  Life  of  Nell  Gwynn   101 

D'Ailly,  Pierre,  Imago  Mundi  of   72 

Daniel,  George,  Books  of   45 

Darien,  Scotch  Settlement  at   90 

Deane,  Silas,  Bancroft  on   119 

Works  of.  119, 120 

De  Bry's  Bibliotheca  Chalcographica. .  223 

Brunet  on  his  Voyages   88 

Other  bihliographers    on  his 

Voyages   89 

Voyages   85,  87,  115, 116 

De  Laet,  Works  of   85 

Demonology,  Books  on   61 

De  Quincey's  manner  of  storing  his 

books   181 

Desnoyers'  Sistine  Madonna   184 

De  Thou's  Book-love  27,  28 

Devil,  Books  on  the   61 

Devonshire,  Duke  of,  Books  of   50 

De  Vries'  Works   91 

Diabolica,  Bibliotheca   61 

Diana  of  Poictiers'  Book-love   21 

Diaz,  Bernal,  Works  of.   84 


INDEX. 


Dibdin,  T.  F.,  Autograph  letters  of, 

167,  168,  227 


On  Grey's  ed.  of  Hudibras....  174 

On  Hakluyt   85 

On  Lady  Lucan's  Illustrated 

Shakespeare   62 

On  Murphj7's  Arabian  Antiq- 
uities of  Spain   223 

OnR.Heber   39 

Unpublished  Works  of.   170 

Works  of   101,  153,  167,  226 

Dickinson's  Letters  from  a  Farmer,  &c.  117 

Diman,  J.  Lewis,  Books  of  237 

Dinwiddie,  Gov.,  Autograph  letters  of.  114 

Doctrina  Christiana   94 

Dodsley's  Old  Plays   158, 173 

Donck,  Vander,  his  New  Netherlands.  91 
Donnelly,  T.  F.,  on  Noah  Woodsides...  14 

Don  Quixote   224 

Dorr  War  Literature  212 

Douglas'  Nenia  Britannica  140 

Dowse,  Thomas,  Book-love  of   52 

Drake's  Dictionary  of  American  Biog- 
raphy  144 

Dressing  cases,  Hobby  for   6 

Drexel,  Joseph  W.,  Books  of.   53 

Drolleries,  Books  of,  in  Daniel  sale   46 

Dunlap's  Arts  of  Design   176 

Dunn,  Professor  11.  P.,  The  Good  Book- 
seller by  206 

Dunton,  John,  on  Eliot's  Indian  Bible.  112 
Durer,  Albert,  his  cuts  and  engrav- 
ings 171,  182,  188 

His  influence  on  Little  Masters,  191 

His  Life  of  the  Virgin   191 

Du  Roveray's  edition  of  Homer   141 

Duyckinck,  Evert  A.,  on  Keese   56 

Eastlake's  Materials  for  a  History  of 
Oil  Painting  176 


247 

Ecclesiastical  book-lovers  17, 18 

Edwards,  James,  Book-love  of   38 

Egede's  Works   92 

Egnatio's  anecdote  of  Grollier   28 

Egypt,  Great  French  work  on   128 

Works  on   137 

Electra  of  Sophocles   194 

Eliot's  Indian  Bible  95,  111,  196 

Grammar   95 

Elzevirs  in  Libri  collection   45 

Emblems,  Books  of.  202 

Enciso,  Geography  of.   72 

England's  Helicon  160 

Enschedc  collection, Books  from. . .  188, 189 

Ephrata  press,  Imprints  of   197 

Ethnological  works   139 

Eusebius' Praeparatio  Evangelica   126 

Farmer,  Richard,  Bookdove  of  34,  35 

Farnham's  A  Glance  at  Private  Libra- 
ries   52 

Farnum,  Alexander,  Library  of  165 

Featley's  Works   97 

Federmann's  Indianische  Historia   90 

Fenelon  on  books   3 

Fenwick,  Mrs.  Katherine,  Books  of   49 

Ferriar,  Dr.,  on  Richard  Heber  -  40 

Finden's  Royal  Gallery   154 

Finiguerra,  Maso,  Engravings  of.   38 

Fitzgerald's  Life  of  Garrick   231 

Folger,  Peter,  his  Looking  Glass  for 

the  Times  198 

Dr.  Franklin  on   199 

Folkes,  Martin,  his  books,  &c   34 

Force,  Peter,  Harrisse  on  his  library. .  75 
Foster's  Arabian  Nights'  Entertain- 
ments    155 

Fowle  sale,  Preposterous  prices  at   53 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  Autograph  letters 

of  114, 115 


248 


INDEX. 


Franklin,  Benjamin,  Bancroft  on  119 

Imprints  of  120,  197 

Liberty  and  Necessity  of..  97 

On  Peter  Folger  199 

Franklin,  James,  Cost  of  his  press  123 

Establishment  at  Newport 

of   121 

Petitions  by   121 

Profits  of   123 

Franklin,  Sir  John,  Arctic  explorations 

of    138 

Frederick  the  Great,  Libraries  of   9 

Passion  for  snuff-boxes  of..  5 

French  Kings,  Book-bindings  of   64 

French  Republic  of  1794,  Constitution  of  65 
Fry,  Francis,  Collection  of  Bibles  of. . .  60 
Fyssher's  Treatise  on  the  Psalms   130 

Gallatin,  Albert,  Peace  with  Mexico  of  141 

Galvao's  Discoveries  of  the  World   70 

Garlands,  Books  of,  in  Daniel  sale   46 

Gam m ell,  William,  Books  of  237 

Garrick,  Life  of  231 

Gascoigne,  Geoi'ge,  Poetical  Works  of.  193 
Gates,  Gen'l  Horatio,  Autograph  docu- 
ment by  231 

Gay's  Fables   152 

Gell,  Sir  William,  his  Topography  of 

Troy   142 

George  III.,  Book-love  of.   37 

German. American  Poetry   197 

Gibbon's  Book-love    16L 

Gillott,  Joseph,  Hobby  for  violins  of..  4 

Taste  for  paintings  of   6 

Giustiniani's  edition  of  Psalter   75 

Glockenton,  N.,  Miniatures  by   188 

Goddard,  William,  Establishes  a  press 

in  Providence   122 

Character  of   123 

Golden  Legend  100,  126 


Gomara's  Works   81 

Gorge's  Works   91 

Gorton,  Samuel,  Works  of.  99,  196 

Gosson,  Stephen,  his  Pleasant  Quippes  152 

Gottfriedt's  Voyages   85 

Gough's  Sepulchral  Monuments   139 

Gowans,  William,  Sketch  of   54 

Grainger's  England   129 

Grave,  John,  Song  of  Sion  of   197 

Green,  Arnold,  Library  of  238 

Bartholomew,  Imprints  of   120 

Greenland,  Books  on   92 

Early  allusion  to   72 

Grenville,  Thomas,  Books  of   41 

Grenvilliana,  Bibliotheca   227 

Greville,  Fulk,  Works  of  229 

Grey,  Literary  Remains  of  Lady  Jane.  231 
Grijalva,  Joan  de,    his  Itinerary  of 

Yucatan   79 

Grimani,  Cardinal,  Book-love  of.   19 

Grolliei ,  Book-love  of   27 

Grose's  Antiquities   140 

Grote  on  Aspasia   20 

Grynaeus'  Voyages   85 

"G.  t.,"  Books  of  printer  thus  desig- 
nated   189 

Guilford,  Frederick  North,  Earl  of,  his 

Books   50 

Guizot's  testimony  as  to  Libri   44 

Hadden,  Lieut.  J.  M.,  Journal  of.  232 

Orderly-Books  kept  by..  233 

Hakluyt's  Voyages  85,  116 

Hampden  and  Cromwell,  Tract  relat- 
ing to   231 

Hancock,  John.  Manuscript  order  of..  120 

Hangmen's  halters,  Hobby  for   4 

Hariot's  Virginia  86,  88 

Harleian  Library   32 

Manuscripts   33 


INDEX. 


249 


Harleian  Miscellany  ,  33, 172 

Harris,  Facsimiles  by   153 

C.  Fiske,  Jefferson's  Notes  of...  94 

Library  of.   1S1 

Harrisse,  Henry,  on  American  libra- 
ries  74 

Hartgers'  Voyages   85 

Haslewood,  Joseph,    his  edition  of 

Poets  and  Poesy  230 

Manuscript  emendations  by  160 

Hastie-Tracy  sale,  Books  from   110 

Hazlitt's  edition  of  Dodsley's  Old  Plays  173 

Hearne's  Arctic  explorations   138 

Heath,  Charles,  Engravings  of.  224 

Heber,  Richard,  Books  of   39 

His  dislike  of  large  paper  copies  62 

Hell,  Books  on   61 

Helps,  Sir  Arthur,  on  American  Book- 
Collectors    105 

On  Puga's  Collection  of  Ordi- 
nances  69 

Hennepin's  works   91 

Henry  II.,  Diana  of  Poictiers'  influence 

over  21,  22 

Henry  III.,  Book-bindings  of   64 

Herodotus  on  Xerxes'  visit  to  Troy. . . .  142 

Herrera,  Works  of   84 

Heywood,  Thomas,  Life  of  Merlin  of..  229 
Hillier's  King  Charles  in  the  Isle  of 

Wight  231 

Hobbies,  Various    4,  5,  6,  7,  S 

Hoe,  Robert,  Jr.,  Books  of   53 

Hogarth's  Works  175, 185 

Holbein's  Works  154, 191 

Hollyband's  Dictionary  141 

Horn  er,  Works  on  ,   141 

Hooke's  Works  97, 118 

Home's  Manual  172 

Houbraken's  Heads  175 

Hudibras,  Grey's  edition  of   174 


Hulsius'  Voyages   85,  86,  89 

Human  skin,  Books  bound  in   65 

Hume's  England  by  Bowyer   154 

Hutchinson,  Gov.,  Books  of.   51 

Win,  Literary  fraud  of  201 

Hylacomylus,  Pseudonym  of  Waldsee- 

Miiller   73 

Hypnerotomaehia   189 

Illustrated  books,  62, 101, 128, 143, 157, 

109,  175,  176,  177,  214,  222,  226,  231,  238 

Imperia,  Book-love  of   20 

Imperiale,  Cardinal,  Book  love  of   19 

Indian  languages,  Books  printed  in. . .  95 

Irving's  Washington  101, 176 

Irvingiana   231 

Irwin,  Theodore,  Books  and  prints  of..  53 
Ives,  Bray  ton,  Books  of   130 

Jacob,  Sir  Hildebrand,  Eccentric  book 

love  of   30 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  Manuscript  letters 

of   114 

Notes  on  Virginia  of   94 

Jenckes,  Thomas  A,  Dorr  War  Litera- 
ture of   212 

Jests,  Books  of,  in  Daniel  sale  -  46 

Jesuit  Relations   85,  87,  90,  92 

Johnsoniana   101 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  his  dislike  of 

good  bindings   161 

Lives  of  the  Poets   230 

On  the  Harleian  Library. ...  33 

Portraits  of   ]01 

Jonson,  Ben,  Works  of     193 

Junot,  Marshal,  his  vellum  books   62 

Junta,  Books  printed  by  45,  48 

Kalbfieisch,  Charles  W,  Books  of.   53 

Keese,  John,  Sketch  of.   56 


250 


INDEX. 


Kennett,  While,  Bibliotbecae  Ameri- 
cans Primordia  of   22S 

Kingsborough's  Antiquities  of  Mexico,  128 

Kirkup,  Baron  Seymour,  Books  of.   61 

Knight's  England   157 

Passages  of  a  Working  Life..  231 

Lablache,  his  walking-sticks   5 

his  snuff-boxes   6 

Lacroix,  Paul,  Middle  Ages  of  175 

His  testimony  as  to  Libri. . .  44 

On  Grollier's  bindings   27 

Laet,  Works  of.   85 

La  Hontan's  Voyages   91 

Lamb,  Charles,  Autograph  inscription 

of   160 

Extract  from  an  autogi'aph 

letter  of   177 

Lancelot,  Cardinal,  Book-love  of   19 

Landscape  Annual  154 

Las  Casas'  Works  81, 115,  220 

On  Spanish  cruelties   82 

Lavater's  Essays  on  Physiognomy  224 

La-yard's  Nineveh  and  Babylon  137 

Lechford's  Works   91 

Lee,  Arthur,  Bancroft  on   119 

Works  of  118, 119 

Gen'l  Charles,  Court  Martial  of  118 

Treason  of   231 

Legenda  Aurea     100, 126 

Lenox,  James,  A  De  Bry  collector   86 

Bibles  of   61 

Harrisse  on  his  library   75 

Leo  Africanus  on  Africa   136 

Leo  X.,  Book-love  of.   17 

Leon,  Ciesa  de,  Works  of   84 

Lery,  Works  of   84 

Lescarbot's  Nouvelle  France   92 

Leslie's  Life  of  Constable   157 


Lewis,  John,  his  Life  of  Caxton   226 


Lexicography,  Works  on   140 

Libraries,  Conventional  239 

Libri,  Guglielmo,  his  books  and  book- 
love   43 

His  book-bindings   64 

His  Sale  catalogues   227 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Books  on.-   16 

Linschoten's  Voyages   85 

Lippitt,  Colonel  Christopher,  Orderly- 
Book  of  Regiment  of.   213 

Little  Masters,  why  so  called   191 

Lloyd's  Life  of  Sir  P.  Sidney   229 

Lodge's  Portraits   175,  224 

Longhi's  engravings   182 

Lossing's  Hudson   129 

Louis  XIV.,  his  efforts  to  buy  Sir  J. 

Cotton's  books   29 

Louis  XV.,  Connection  with  Madame 

de  Pompadour   23 

Her  books  bequeathed  to 

him   24 

Love,  Bibliography  of.....   62 

Lucan,  Lady,  Illustrated  Shakespeare 

of   62 

Lude wig's  Local  History  of  America..  228 

Maberly  on  Miiller   183 

Maioli,  Book  love  of.   27 

Major,  John,  his  copy  of  Wal pole's 

Anecdotes  of  Painting  224 

Richard  H.,  on  Galvao's  Treatise  70 

On  the  naming  of  America..  74 

Manuscripts        48,  49,  50,  51, 125,  213,  225,  232 

Marriage.  Bibliography  of.   02 

Marryat's  Pottery  and  Porcelain   154 

Marshall's  Washington  '.  101, 143 

Martin's  Privately  printed  Books  226 

Martyr,  Peter,  Works  of  80, 115, 116 

On  Spanish  valor   84 

Mather,  Cotton,  Woi-ks  of   96 


INDEX. 


251 


Mather  Family's  Works.   51,  96, 

Maximilian's  library  

Maya  language,  Dictionary  of  96, 

Mazarin  Bibles  in  the  Perkins  library.. 

Cardinal,  Book-love  of  

Mead,  Dr.  Richard,  Book-love  of.  

Medicis,  Catherine  de,  Book  bindings 
of  

Meerrnan  library  of  Greek  Manuscripts 

Mela,  Pomponius,  Geography  of.  

Menzies,  William,  Books  of.   

Books  from  his  sale  110, 112, 113, 115, 

Merimee,  Prosper,  Testimony  of,  as  to 
Libri  

Merlin,  Hey  wood's  Life  of.  

Mexico,  First  Book  printed  in  

Books  relating  to  

Milton  on  good  books  

Doctrine  of  Divorce  of  

Works  of.  

Mirrour  for  Magistrates  

Missals   46,  48  125,  145, 188, 

Molina's  Dictionary  of  Mexican  lan- 
guage  

Montbrison,  Count  de,  Book-binding  of 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  Utopia  of  

Morghen,  Raphael,  Transfiguration  of.. 

Other  works  of  

Motte,  Philip  de  la,  Art  Workmanship 
of  

Mottoes,  Books  of  

Mourt's  Works  

Miiller's  Sistine  Madonna  

Munsell's  Reprints,  extravagant  prices 
of,  at  Fowle  sale  

Munster,  Geography  of  

Murphy's  Arabian  Antiquities  of  Spain 

Murphy,  H.  C,  Harrisse  on  his  library. 

Musee  Royal  

Music,  T.  Britton's  taste  for  

30 


117 
11 

101 
47 
1!) 

34 

G4 


53 
194 

44 
229 
94 
12 
202 
194 
194 
193 
221 

95 
64 
77 
182 
183 

153 
202 
91 
183 

53 

72 
223 

75 
154 

13 


New  England's  First  Fruits  118 

New  England's  Teares,  &c   118 

Nicholas  V.,  Book-love  of   17 

Nicolas'  Literary  Remains  of  Lady 

Jane  Grey  231 

North,  Frederick,  Earl  of  Guilford, 

Books  of   50 

Norton,   Mrs.,   Sonnet   of,   "To  my 

Books"   66 

Nuremberg  Chronicle  222 

Officers'  Ball   198 

Olney,  Stephen  T.,  Library  of  238 

Orderly-Books  of  Col.  C.  Lippitt's  Reg't  213 
Kept  by  Lieut.  Hadden..  233 

Ortelius,  Geography  of.   72 

Osborne,   Thomas,   his  purchase  of 

Harleian  Library   33 

Ottley's  Supplement  231 

Ottoboni,  Cardinal,  Book-love  of   19 

Oviedo's  Works   81 

Oxford  classics,  extravagant  prices  of, 

at  Fowle  sale   53 

Paesi  nouamente  retrouati   78 

Painter's  Palace  of  Pleasure   193 

Paintings,  Joseph  Gillott's  taste  for...  6 

Palm  leaf  book   220 

Papal  book-lovers   17 

Paper  Money  of  Rhode  Island  213 

Paradise  of  Dayntie  Devises   160 

Parry's  Arctic  explorations   138 

Parton's  Franklin   144 

Passau's  Boeck  des  Gulden  Throens...  189 

Peele's  Jests,  Extract  from   Ill 

Pembroke,  Earl  of,  Books  and  coins  of  34 

Pcnhallow's  Works   91 

Pennsylvania,  Works  relating  to  ..  114, 117 

Percy  Society's  Publications   152 

Perkins,  Henry,  Library  of.   46 


252 


INDEX. 


Perkins,  Henry,  Sale  of  his  Caxton's 

PoljTcronicon   37 

Petit's  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots.. . .  102, 143,  157 
Petrarch's  disposition  of  his  books....  131 

Phillipps,  Sir  Thomas,  his  books   49 

His  peculiar  bequest  of  his  books  49 

His  private  press   49 

Philology,  Works  on  140 

Phipps'  Arctic  explorations   138 

Phoenix,  S.  Whitney,  Books  of   53 

Pickering's  Prayer  Book   173 

Picturesque  Voyages  138 

Pigouchet,  Phillippe,  Book  printed  by  221 

Pine,  John,  Works  of  156 

Placida,  Franciscus,  Book  printed  by.  222 
Planck,  Stephanus,  Book  printed  by.. .  190 

Pleydenwurff  s  cuts  222 

Plinius  Secundus,  Caius,  Book  of  190 

Poetry,  Coleridge  on  159 

Pompadour,  Madame  de,  Book-love  of  23 
Fondness  for  books  on  the  drama  58 

Pontanus  de  Roma,  Works  of   188 

Pope  on  the  Harleian  Library   33 

Popish  Plot,  Works  relating  to  230 

Poi  son's  dislike  of  folios   139 

Postage-stamps,  Prices  paid  for   7 

Press  established  in  Rhode  Island  121 

In  Mexico   95 

Prime,  William  C,  on  Wm.  Gowans...  55 

Prince,  Rev.  Thomas,  Library  of   50 

Printers,  Subsidies  to  Colonial,  122, 123, 124 

Ptolemy,  Geography  of  72,  73 

Puga's  Collection  of  Ordinances   69 

Purchas,  His  Pilgrimes  85, 117, 136 

Pynchon's  Works   97 

Pynson,  Books  printed  by   48 

Ramusio's  Voyages   85 

Ratcliffe,  John,  Books  of   34 

Rawlinson  on  Nineveh   137 


Rawlinson,  Richard,  Book-love  of   32 

Thomas,  Book-love  of.   31 

Rebellion,  Literature  of.   142,  200 

Scrap  book  history  of.  142 

Reed- Washington  Correspondence....  113 

Rembrandt,  Prints  of   182 

Remembrancer,  The   93 

Repertorium  Bibliographicum  226 

Returns  of  Capt.  T.  Carlile's  Company.  213 
Rhode  Island  literature,  Mr.  Rider's 

passion  for  211 

Laws   99 

Manuscript  volumes  re- 
lating to   100 

Paper  Money  of  213 

Rice,  John  A.,  Amount  of  his  sale   53 

Sale  of  his  Indian  Bible,  112 

Rich,  O.,  Catalogues  of   228 

Rider,  Sidney  S.,  Library  of.  205 

Ritson's  Works   173 

Rittner's  connection  with  Miiller  184 

Robinson,  Crabb,  Diary  of.   157 

Eugene  N.,  his  folio  Shakes- 

peare   127 

Rochambeau,  Count  de,  Manuscript 

Journal  of  an  Aid  of  200 

Rogers,  Horatio,  City  Hall  Oration  of..  214 

Library  of   219 

Samuel,  Poetical  Works  of,  156,  176 
Roqueplan,   Nestor,   his    hobby  for 

warming-pans   5 

Rosa,  Salvator,  Etchings  of   185 

Rosny,  Lucien,  Book-bindings  of   65 

Ross'  Arctic  explorations   138 

Roxburghe  Club,  Dinners  and  publica- 
tions of   36 

Roxburghe,   Duke  of,    Sale    of  his 

library  35,  36 

Royal  book-collectors       9, 10, 11,  29,  37,  64 

Geographical  Society,  Journal  of  136 


INDEX. 


253 


Royal  Library  of  Stuttgart,  Bibles  in...  61 
Society  of  Literature,  Transac- 
tions of   140 

Roy's  Military  Antiquities   140 

Rugendas,  George  P.,  Paintings  of  224 

Essay  of,  on  Armor  225 

Sabin,  Joseph,  Sketch  of   59 

Sagard's  Historie  clu  Canada   92 

Saint  Albans,  Book  of   230 

Sauer,  Christopher,  Imprints  of  197 

Schoner,  Geography  of   72 

Scotch  Settlement  at  Darien   90 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  Books  of   50 

Mr.  Jonathan  Oldbuck's  books.  102 

Novels  of  129 

On  Richard  Heber   40 

On  history  and  literature  for 

lawyers     238 

Sewall,  Henry  F.,  Prints  of   53 

Shakespeare,  Boy  dell's  128, 154 

First  four  folios  of,  48, 127, 128, 194 

Halliwell's  folio   173 

Illustrated  copies  of  62,  63 

Works  of  158, 173 

Sharpe's  British  Essayists   152 

Shaw's  Works  on  the  Middle  Ages  175 

Ship  of  Fools  76, 193 

Sidney,  Sir  Philip,  Memoirs  of  228 

Pedigree  of.  229 

Works  of  228 

Silk,  Books  printed  on  .  62 

Silvester  II.,  Book  love  of   17 

Silvestre's  Universal  Paleography  174 

Simcoe,  Col.,  Journal  of  232 

Sion,  Song  of,  by  John  Grave   196 

Sistine  Madonna,  Engravings  of....  183, 184 

Slavery,  Literature  of.  200 

Smith,  Charles  Morris,  Library  of.  238 

John,  Works  of   91 


Smith,  Richard,  Library  of   29 

Sale  of  his  Caxtons  ...  37 

Dr.  Wm.,  on  Aspasia   20 

Snuff-boxes,  Hobby  for  5,  6 

Sobolewski,  M.  Serge,  References  to 

his  library   70,  78,  86,  104,  116 

Solinus'  Polyhistoria  73,  74 

Solis,  Works  of.   84 

Somers'  Tracts  14,172 

Song-Books,  American  199 

Song  of  Sion  by  John  Grave  196 

Songs,  Books  of,  in  Daniel  sale   46 

Sophocles,  Electra  of   194 

Sotheby's  Principia  Typographica  226 

Southey,  Robert,  Books  of   50 

On  defacing  books   145 

On  some  libraries  239 

South  wick,  Solomon,  Imprints  of  122 

Spanish  cruelty   81 

Valor   83 

Sparks'  Writings  of  Washington   113 

Spectator,  The,  on  sale  of  Dr.  C.  Ber- 
nard's books   30 

Spencer,  Earl,  Library  of.   40 

Ticknor  on   36 

Spenser's  Works   193 

Stanley,  Col.,  Books  of   38 

Stedman's  History  of  American  War..  93 

Steendam,  Jacob,  Poetry  of.   197 

Steinla's  Sistine  Madonna   184 

Stephen's  Runic  Monuments  140 

Sterline,  Earl  of,  his  Recreations  with 

the  Muses   229 

Stevens,  Henry,  on  translations  and 

various  editions   79 

Stobnicza,  John  de,  his  Introduction  to 

Ptolemy's  Cosmography  73,  74 

Story,  Judge,  on  varied  reading   220 

Stothard,  Thomas,  Designs  of..  155,  224,  225 
Life  of   155,  225 


254 


INDEX. 


Stothard,  Thomas,  Original  drawings 

of   155,  225 

Water  colors  of  155 

Strabo's  Geographia   126 

Strange,  Sir  Robert,  Engravings  of.  186 

Strascino,  Imperia  a  pupil  of  21 

Stuarts,  Works  on  time  of   230 

Stultifera  Navis   76 

Stuttgart,  Bibles  in  Royal  Library  of. .  61 

Sykes,  Sir  M.  M.,  Books  of   39 

Prints  of   38 

Sale  of  bis  books  and  prints  39 

Taft.  James  W.,  Library  of  238 

Taft,  Royal  C,  Library  of   149 

Tamul  Book  220 

Tatler,  The,  on  T.  Rawlinson's  book- 
love   31 

Taylor,  Thomas,  Translation  of  Aris- 
totle by   173 

Ternaux's  Bibliotheque  Americaine. . .  228 

Thiers'  French  Revolution   101 

Thomas,  Edward  M.,  Book-love  of   12 

Ticknor,  George,  on  Cortes  Relations. .  84 

On  Thomas  Dowse   52 

On  Valdarfer  Boccaccio   36 

Tite,  Sir  William,  Books  of   48 

Books  from  his  library   127 

Tobacco  pipes,  Hobby  for   6 

Torffeus'  Works   92 

Toschi's  engravings   182 

Troy,  Works  on  Plain  of   142 

Trumbull,  J.  Hammond,  discovers  a 

tract  by  Roger  Williams —  99 
Only  living  reader  of  Indian 

Bible   113 

Tulip  Mania  in  Holland   4 

Turnbull's  Birds   130 


Turner,  Dawson,   his   Collection  of 

Heath's  engravings  224 


Turner,  Dawson,  Illustrated  History  of 

Norfolk  of   63 

J.  M.  W.,  Life  of.  225 

Tusser,  Thomas,  his  Hundredth  good 

points  of  husbandrie   160 

Typography,  Old, 

126,  188,  189,  190,  192,  221,  222 

Urquhart,  Gordon,  Hobby  for  halters  of  4 
Utopia     77 

Varthema,  Ludovico  de,  Itinerario  of..  79 

Violins,  Joseph  Gillott's  hobby  for   4 

Valdarfer  Boccaccio,  Sale  of  35,  36 

Ticknor  on   36 

Valens,  Letters  of  114 

Vander  Donck's  New  Netherlands   91 

Vatican,  Library  of  the  17, 18 

Vega,  Garcilasso  de  la,  Works  of   84 

Vellum  books  47,  62, 124,  130,  145,  150, 167,  168 

Marshal  Junot's   62 

Verard,  Book  printed  by  48, 191 

Vespucius,  Americus,  America  named 

after   73 

His  Voyages   77 

Vetusta  Monumenta  140 

Vindelin,  Book  printed  by  126 

Virginia  Convention  of  1788,  Constitu- 
tional Debates  of   117 

Waldsee-Miiller,  Cosmographiae  Intro- 

ductio  of   73 

Naming  of  America  by....  73 

Walking-sticks,  Hobby  for   5 

Walpole's  Anecdotes  of  Painting  224 

Walton's  Angler  151 

Lives   151 

Warming-pans,  Hobby  for   5 

Warren's  Monuments  140 

Washington,  Autograph  letters  of,  113,  231 


INDEX. 


255 


Washington,  Books  from  his  library...  113 

Books  on   16 

Character  and  Portraits  of. .  231 

Diary  of  231 

Spark's  Writings  of   113 

Watches,  Hobby  for   5 

Waterloo's  etchings   184 

Watson  and  Kaye's  People  of  India....  139 

Waverley  Novels  129,  152 

Webster,  Daniel.  Books  on   10 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  his  hobby  for 

watches   5 

West,  James,  Books  of  34,  35 

Westwood's  Miniatures.  &c   176 

Wheatley,  Phillis,  Poems  of.  200 

White  Knights  Library,  Sale  of   36 

White,  President,  Books  of   53 

Wiffen's  House  of  Russell   144 

Williams,  Roger,  Works  of   95,  98, 196 

Winsor,  Prof.  Justin,  on  book-collec- 
tors of  the  Colonial 
period   51 


Winsor,  Prof.  Justin,  His  Bibliography 

of  Shakespeare   129 

Wohlgemuth's  cuts  222 

Wolfenbuttel,  Bibles  in  the  library  of..  61 

Woman,  Bibliography  of.   62 

Wood,  Anthony  A.,  Athena?  Oxonien. 

ses  of  226 

Woodburn's  Rare  Portraits   175 

Wood  Engraving   170, 191,  222 

Woodsides,  Noah,  Book-love  of.   15 

Worde,  Wynkyn  de,  Book  printed  by  48, 126 
Wordsworth,  William,  White  Doe  of 

Rylstoneof   160 

Manuscript  emendations  of.. . . .  160 

Writing-cases,  Hobby  for   6 

Wynne's  Private  Libraries  of  New  York  52 

YarrelPs  Works  158, 173 

Zarate,  Works  of   84 

Zorgdrager's  Works   92 

Zouch's  Memoirs  of  Sir  P.  Sidney   228 


